For the first time in Olympic history, the men and women raced the same course over the same distance.
Starting on the Esplanade des Invalides, the 32.4km route headed east out of the city through Bois de Vincennes before looping back via the Bastille and finishing on the celebrated bridge of Pont Alexandre III.
After Henderson’s medal, all eyes were on 20-year-old Tarling to see if he could continue to turn heads on his Olympic debut.
Having won World Championship bronze behind Evenepoel and Ganna last year and sealed European gold, there was only one outcome on the Welshman’s mind.
But as the rain continued to drive, a front-wheel puncture put paid to that as the Ineos Grenadier was forced to change his bike, ultimately finishing 2.16 seconds shy of the podium.
“The stars were miles apart today,” Tarling told BBC Sport.
“I had no choice really but to make the change before that corner and then try my best.
“There’s not a lot I can do really, a bit of bad luck. We move on to the road race.”
The route’s surface through the streets of Paris had been criticised by multiple riders in the lead-up to Saturday’s races, with Dutch rider Ellen van Dijk, who finished 11th in the women’s race, saying there were “a lot of bumps and holes”.
Evenepoel, who finished third at the Tour de France earlier in July, had previously said it was “pretty bad”, but despite the 24 hours of constant rain in the French capital, it did little to dampen his display as he finished almost 15 seconds quicker than two-time world champion Ganna.