TakeVuelta2 weeks ago
Josh Tarling abandoned the Vuelta a España on stage 6, and this was never a comeback story. He started just over a week after his brother Finlay Tarling's death, finished third in the opening time trial, then quietly faded — the withdrawal was the plan all along, not a failure of it.
Netcompany-Ineos gave no medical reason for the abandonment, and there wasn't one to give. Before the race, Geraint Thomas told the Watts Occurring podcast that Tarling could go home after two days if it felt wrong, and Tarling's parents had already framed the start on Instagram as riding "in honour of his brother Fin." He spent stages working for Oscar Onley before losing time himself, then stopped — the team's statement called it "brave" and said nothing about disappointment.
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