Team GB star gets past McDonald’s ban at Olympic Village to keep tradition going
Josh Tarling will be getting a McDonald's if he's victorious at the Olympics - unlike some of his Team GB team-mates.
McDonald’s might be banned from the Olympic Village, but cyclist Josh Tarling has still vowed to raid the junk food restaurant if he wins on Saturday.
The Welsh cyclist used to gorge on burgers and fries as a reward for winning junior events in Aberystwyth and plans to do the same if he starts Team GB’s medal train in the men’s time trial.
McDonald’s was once a staple of the Olympic Village - Usain Bolt famously said his 100m world record time was fuelled on a diet of Chicken McNuggets – but Paris organisers have controversially opted for a health kick.
“I am not in the Olympic Village, we are outside. And they have a McDonalds here, so that is where I will be on Sunday,” Tarling said.
“I have not had chocolate in a long time so some Lindor balls would be good as well.
“As a kid, on the way back was a McDonalds. I was anywhere between 12 and 16 really, and I would be a lot skinnier if it was not for that.”
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Team GB are perennial slow starters at the Olympics and have not won a gold medal on the first day since Jason Queally won the 1km time trial in Sydney 24 years ago.
But Tarling is a major contender to snap that streak. The 20-year-old is one of the hottest properties in cycling and has already bagged European gold and back-to-back national titles.
He also won World Championship bronze in Glasgow last summer and has been bang in form in time trials this season, beating all of his rivals on the World Tour.
And he is not shy in talking about his ambitions for the Games. “To win it,” he said. “It is determined on how hard you can go and as long as I get everything out of myself, that is good. But I want to win it.
“There’s no pressure on me, I can’t control it. I have done everything I can. As long as I am happy with my ride, I am happy.”
Discovery+ is the new home of the Olympics. The streamer is set to broadcast 3,800 hours of sport live from Paris.
Sports fans can get Discovery+ for £3.99 a month until the end of 2024 via Amazon Prime's video channels. This also comes with an Amazon Prime 30-day free trial.
Tarling is up against a stacked field. He will face stiff competition from his Ineos Grenadiers teammate Filippo Ganna, road race world champion Mathieu van der Poel and time trial world champion Remco Evanpoel – all world-class riders with bigger CVs.
“Ganna, Van Poel and all those guys have done more impressive stuff than I have,” he said.
“I am the favourite for this, but Remco has been flying in the Tour de France and Ganna won the Giro d’Italia time trial. Van der Poel is coming back but we know he’s going to be good.
“My name flies under the radar but it is quite nice sometimes.”
Watch every moment of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 live only on discovery+, the streaming home of the Olympics
