Renewi Tour 2023: Josh Tarling of Ineos Grenadiers wins stage 2 individual time trial across 13.6km to Sluis
(Image credit: Bas Czerwinski/Getty Images)
Joshua Tarling of Ineos Grenadiers on his ITT ride that would put him in the hot seat at 15:05
(Image credit: Bas Czerwinski/Getty Images)
Tim Wellens of UAE Team Emirates rides the ITT
(Image credit: Bas Czerwinski/Getty Images)
Kasper Asgreen of Soudal-QuickStep on the course
(Image credit: Bas Czerwinski/Getty Images)
Fred Wright of Bahrain Victorious on the course
(Image credit: Bas Czerwinski/Getty Images)
Jos Van Emden of Jumbo-Visma rides the 13.6km individual time trial stage
(Image credit: Bas Czerwinski/Getty Images)
Jasper Philipsen of Alpecin-Deceuninck rides the ITT in the Blue Leader Jersey
(Image credit: Bas Czerwinski/Getty Images)
Tim Merlier of Soudal-QuickStep rides the ITT in the Green Points Jersey
(Image credit: Bas Czerwinski/Getty Images)
Jumbo-Visma's Olav Kooij rides the ITT in the Red Best Young Rider Jersey
(Image credit: Bas Czerwinski/Getty Images)
Dylan Groenewegen of Jayco AlUla rides the 13.6km course
(Image credit: Bas Czerwinski/Getty Images)
Josh Tarling of Ineos Grenadiers, just 19 years of age, celebrates at podium as stage winner
(Image credit: Bas Czerwinski/Getty Images)
Josh Tarling of Ineos Grenadiers celebrates as Blue Leader Jersey winner after the ITT victory
(Image credit: Bas Czerwinski/Getty Images)
British champion Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers) has taken his first WorldTour win, finishing with the fastest time in the stage 2 individual time trial at the Renewi Tour in Sluis.
Tarling, 19, covered the 13.6km course with a winning time of 15:05 and an average speed of 54 kph. Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates) finished second at 14 seconds back, and Yves Lampaert (Soudal-QuickStep) in third at 18 seconds back.
"It's crazy. I'm so happy. I think we did super good in the the team. I am super supported, and I'm super happy," said Tarling, who has finished no less than third place in every time trial he has started this year, including a victory at the British Championships and a bronze medal at the World Championships.
"I thought I started fast, and then I heard the splits and started panicking, so I tried to get everything out that I could. I think it worked well with the wind and stuff, so it ended up working really good," Tarling said of his pacing strategy during the race.
"I don't know if I was calm; it was panic from about halfway, but it was only a short-ish time trial, and it was about getting everything out. I had to stay above [the pacing plan] to win."
Tarling now leads the overall classification at the Renewi Tour as the race heads into stage 3 from Aalter to Geraardsbergen on Friday.
"We'll see how good we can get, but we have other super talents in the team, so we have a lot of options now."
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The second stage at the Renewi Tour was a 13.6km race against the clock in Sluis. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) started the time trial last after winning stage 1 and taking the first leader's jersey.
Lennard Hofstede (Jumbo-Visma) was the first rider off the starting ramp, and a few of the earlier fast finishers included Daan Hoole (Lidl-Trek), Luke Plapp (Ineos Grenadiers), Marc Hirschi (UAE Team Emirates) and Jos van Emden (Jumbo-Visma), all covering the course with average speeds upwards of 52 kph.
The times continued getting faster, with Wellens setting a best time of 15:19.
However, his time in the hot seat was brief as 19-year-old Tarling stormed through the finish line with a best time of 15:05 and an average speed of 54 kph.
The times behind Tarling re-shuffled throughout the event with podium performances from Belgian riders; Wellens holding onto the second fastest time, then Lampaert with the third fastest time of 15:23,
Other top-10 finishes came from Jasper Stuyven (Lidl-Trek) at 15:24, Florian Vermeersch (Lotto-Dstny) at 15:26, and Kasper Asgreen (Soudal-QuickStep) in sixth place at 15:26.
Kirsten Frattini has been the Editor of Cyclingnews since December 2025, overseeing editorial operations and output across the brand and delivering quality, engaging content.
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