Benjamín Noval celebrated his 18th birthday by winning the junior men’s individual time trial at the European Road Championships in Ljubljana, Slovenia, holding off Denmark’s Malthe Risbjerg by a margin of just three to four hundredths of a second. Reporting from the event, sources confirmed that the Spanish cyclist clocked a winning time of 29 minutes and 46 seconds. Surviving a dramatic late fade, he secured the continental title.
A Dramatic Finish on the Ljubljana Course
Noval built an early advantage during the opening kilometers of the time trial, matching strides with Risbjerg through the initial climb. According to race reports, the Asturian rider established a near-identical split at the first checkpoint before his pacing caught up with him on the return leg. Risbjerg surged in the final kilometers, cutting Noval’s lead down until the gap vanished to an almost imperceptible margin at the finish line.
When the final numbers were computed, Noval’s winning margin stood at a razor-thin three to four hundredths of a second over the Danish silver medalist. Belgium’s Vic De Smet rounded out the podium as the bronze medalist, finishing seven to eight seconds back. Switzerland’s Antoine Salamin took fourth place at ten seconds, and Italy’s Patrik Pezzo Rosola placed fifth at 15 seconds, highlighting the tight margins at the junior level.
Building a Historic Junior Palmarès
The European gold medal crowns a dominant autumn for the Spanish junior standout. Just two weeks prior to his triumph in Ljubljana, Noval secured both the junior time trial and junior road race titles at the UCI Road World Championships. Capturing three major international crowns in a single season establishes 2026 as an unprecedented campaign for the teenager.
That victory path culminated in Slovenia, where the newly minted 18-year-old added the European jersey to his wardrobe alongside the rainbow stripes.
Spanish Success in the European Time Trials
Noval’s victory completed a successful double for the Spanish delegation in Ljubljana. Hours before the junior men’s event, Alejandra Neira captured the European women’s junior time trial title, securing a matched set of continental gold medals for Spain’s developing talent pool.
,fit(1200:))
