Tarling devastated after fourth place at World Championship time trial, Küng had goose bumps in front of home crowd, but no top legs

Joshua Tarling and certainly national favorite Stefan Küng had high ambitions for the podium before the World Time Trial Championships. These were not unjustified, but they both missed out on the medals. Tarling came close with fourth place, while Küng was disappointed with eighth place.

For the third time, Tarling showed an embarrassed face after failing to achieve a significant objective. Prior to the season, both the Olympic time trial, the opening time trial of the Vuelta, and the World Championship time trial were major objectives. The result: fourth, sixth, and fourth. The top talent is left with nothing after a long season, and that hurts him considerably.

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Tarling in the opening time trial of the Vuelta.

Tarling very hard on himself, but still has bright future ahead of him

"The feeling was not good. I never really got going. I was looking for the energy, but in vain," Tarling said in a conversation with Eurosport's interviewer. Tarling crashed during the Vuelta a España, forcing him to drop out early. Since then, he has failed to find the desired feeling and shape. "I wasn't awesome before the time trial. I'm not where I want to be; it's just bad timing."

Narrowly missing out on a medal in the Olympic time trial still runs deep with Tarling. "I had a breakdown after the Olympic time trial, and then I had a bad Vuelta. It's just a mess. It's just not working out. I just feel bad for everyone, with all the help I got regarding equipment and training. I feel guilty towards the people who support and help me. I've let them down," Tarling concludes with disappointment.

Although Tarling is clearly devastated, a fourth place in the World Championship time trial is anything but bad. The 20-year-old rider also has a long and bright future ahead of him if he manages to flip the switch. Last year, he became the European time trial champion at 19 and finished third in the World Championships. Despite recent setbacks, the future still smiles on him.

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Stefan Küng cannot live up to high expectations in front of home crowd  

Küng enjoyed the home crowd but not his legs

Küng was too eager to be on the podium in front of his home crowd, but it was only eighth place. "I had goosebumps on the starting podium," he began his reaction to Eurosport. "It's unbelievable to feel the support of your people. Unfortunately, I didn't find the rhythm to get into the correct flow. It wasn't easy, and I didn't get into my preferred climbing rhythm. So, in the end, it was a long and difficult ride."

Küng had a busy schedule with the Vuelta and the European Time Trial Championships last month. In the Spanish race, he still won the final time trial, but a few days later, he missed out on gold at the European Championships. "Maybe it played a role," Küng said, looking for a reason for his poor performance. "I wanted to show myself today and was clearly not at my best. It's disappointing, but I want to thank everyone for their support. I'm already looking forward to next Sunday," he refers to the road race.

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