Noval avoided suspension over 2024 meeting with banned coach

In April 2024, Noval met Pepe Martí in Navacerrada for a lactate test, completing repeated one-kilometre hill efforts to the car park of the Hotel Arcipreste de Hita. Spanish anti-doping officials found Martí together with Noval and his father, also named Benjamín, in Navacerrada while monitoring Martí's compliance with his ban. Martí told authorities he was a university professor writing a thesis on improving stress tests using capillary blood lactate measurements. CELAD initially proposed an 18-month suspension for Noval over prohibited association with Martí. Officials did not pursue the case, citing factors including Noval's young age and what El País described as his lack of knowledge on the subject. Noval acknowledged the mistake, said he had acted out of ignorance, and expressed remorse. Martí worked as a coach for the US Postal Service and Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Teams during the Armstrong era and played a role in the doping activities of the US Postal Service team; the Court of Arbitration for Sport extended his ban to 15 years, running until June 2027. Noval's father rode for US Postal Service and Discovery Channel with Lance Armstrong, later riding for Alberto Contador at Astana and Saxo Bank. After winning the junior road race, Noval said: «I have worked on it for a long time and knew it was possible. I was not so confident in the time trial, but I was today. I knew I could do it, and when I saw the moment to attack, I decided to give everything.»

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