TakeWorlds3 weeks ago
Benjamín Noval soloed clear on the penultimate lap in Montreal and held off Simon Defrance for road race gold. A year ago at the same distance from the line, he crashed out of the lead in Kigali — this time he didn't need to hold anything back.
Two days earlier, Noval won the junior time trial, making him the first Spanish junior world champion in that event. Back-to-back rainbow jerseys inside one championship, on top of 16 wins in 2026 including the Ain Bugey Valromey Tour overall, is not the profile of a rider peaking for one race. Netcompany-INEOS already has him signed for 2027, at 17 — the same track Remco Evenepoel and Tom Pidcock came up through.
Sources
2026 UCI Road World Championships: Benjamín Noval claims dominant victory in junior men's road raceRoad World Championships: Benjamín Noval delivers gold medal for Spain in junior men's time trialJunior and U23 Men Battle the Kigali Circuit at the 2025 UCI Road World ChampionshipsBenjamín Noval (cyclist, born 2008)Benjamín Noval goes for another rainbow jersey: Junior Road World Championships preview
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