Benjamín Noval delivered a dominant performance at the World Junior Time Trial Championships in Montreal, securing the gold medal with a time of 25:17 and an average speed of 48.1 kilometers per hour, according to reports by El Mundo. The 17-year-old Spanish cyclist from Asturias outpaced a competitive international field on a flat, wide-cornered 20.3-kilometer circuit suited for pure specialists.
How Benjamín Noval Won the Montreal Time Trial
Records from El Mundo show that the young rider sat in fourth place at the initial time check at the 6-kilometer mark. By the second check at kilometer 14.5, he had surged into the lead and maintained his advantage all the way to the finish line.
Belgium’s Vic De Smet finished second, crossing the line six seconds behind Noval. Denmark’s Malthe Risbjerg claimed the bronze medal, finishing 16 seconds off the winning pace. Noval’s victory marks the second Spanish medal of the Montreal World Championships, following Héctor Álvarez’s third-place finish in the under-23 time trial.
A Versatile Palmarès and Professional Future
Born in Pola de Laviana, Noval comes to the sport with deep cycling roots as the son of a cyclist and gregario for Alberto Contador. Despite his youth—he turns 18 on October 7—Noval has already dominated multiple disciplines in Spain, winning national titles in road racing, time trials, cyclo-cross, and XCO.
His recent triumph in Montreal follows another major international victory at the Ain Bugey Valromey Tour, widely regarded as the junior equivalent of the Tour de France. According to coverage from Brujula Bike, Noval secured that stage race victory through a remarkable comeback on the final 18-kilometer time trial ascending the Col du Grand Colombier.
Looking ahead, Noval has already secured his transition to the WorldTour level. The Netcompany-Ineos structure announced his signing for the 2027 season, making him part of a growing trend of elite teenagers turning professional directly from the junior ranks, following the pathways paved by stars such as Remco Evenepoel, Juan Ayuso, and Tadej Pogacar.
Next Checkpoint in Montreal
Noval will return to competition on Thursday for the junior men’s road race over a demanding 134-kilometer course in Montreal, where he aims to capture a second rainbow jersey of the championships.
