Tarling takes a small hit from Evenepoel in the desert, but: “He’s beatable”

With a strong start list, the UAE Tour’s stage 2 time trial naturally attracted plenty of specialist engines. Alongside Tarling and Evenepoel, riders such as Rémi Cavagna (third), Ethan Hayter (fourth), Daan Hoole (fifth), Luke Plapp (sixth), Stefan Bissegger (ninth) and Rune Herregodts (tenth) also lined up in Abu Dhabi.

Evenepoel was the clear favourite for the stage win, though Tarling wasn’t far behind on paper. In the end, six seconds separated the two, and the Brit could live with that. “It was good, it wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for, but I did well,” Tarling told Cyclingnews after the finish.

Still, Tarling felt his pacing plan didn’t quite match what the conditions demanded. “I overdid the first bit, I think anyway, because the first straight was dead headwind, and then when you went left at the first kink, during the recon, it was more cross and now it was more cross-head, so I went a bit too over-under,” he explained.

Tarling didn’t consider his ride flawless, but he also accepted that more might not have been on the table — especially with an Evenepoel in full flight. “I think if he did it again, he’d improve, and if I did it again, I’d improve, so I think that’s where we’re at,” Tarling added. “I’ve got a couple of things to tidy up, but all in all, pretty good.”

So, is Evenepoel in this kind of form actually beatable? Tarling was clear on that point, too. “No, no, he’s beatable, you’ve just got to put everything together,” he said. “At the minute, he’s just got more things right, so I just need to get everything right on my side and tidy up.”

The first head-to-head time trial of 2026 went Evenepoel’s way — but with a long season still ahead, it’s a safe bet these two will cross paths against the clock again.