Benjamín Noval goes for another rainbow jersey: Junior Road World Championships preview

Benjamín Noval has already made history in Montreal, but his World Championship is not over yet. Just two days after becoming the first Spanish junior world champion in the time trial, the Asturian will face the road race this Thursday as one of the big names to watch and with the possibility of closing an extraordinary World Championship.

The junior men's race will take place on Thursday, September 24, starting at 19:30 h, Spanish peninsular time, over a course of 134 kilometers and 2,690 meters of accumulated elevation gain. Ten laps of a Mont-Royal circuit that, due to its distance and difficulty, promises to turn the race into an elimination test.

Benjamín Noval arrives at the road after achieving the rainbow in the time trial

If before the World Championship Benjamín Noval was already seen as one of the great references in his category, what happened in the time trial has confirmed his excellent form.

Now the scenario changes completely. There will not be an individual effort of just over 25 minutes, but a race of around three and a half hours, with continuous climbs, tactical movements, and a selection that will likely occur lap after lap. And there, Noval also has important arguments.

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The Spaniard has 16 victories this season, and among them, the overall win of the Ain Bugey Valromey Tour stands out, one of the most prestigious stage races on the junior calendar. Additionally, there is an outstanding issue with the World Championship on the road. In Kigali 2025, a fall in the final part affected a race in which Noval arrived with high expectations.

Montreal offers him a new opportunity before closing his junior stage and making the leap to Netcompany-INEOS in 2027.

A demanding course with 2,690 meters of elevation

The race will have 134 kilometers divided into 10 laps of the Montreal circuit, accumulating 2,690 meters of elevation. The difficulty, therefore, will not come from a major ascent, but from chaining the climbs of the course over and over again.

Each lap begins with a demanding climb featuring double-digit gradients and then includes two short hills. The last one peaks less than four kilometers from the finish line. From there, there will be a descent before facing the final 600 meters uphill towards the finish line.

The distance will also be an important factor. For many participants, it will be one of the longest races of their still short careers, and the nearly 2,700 meters of elevation can make the last laps feel very different from the first.

It does not seem, therefore, like a course to calmly wait for a conventional sprint. The accumulation of efforts provides ground for attacks and can significantly reduce the group before a finish where it will still be necessary to conserve energy for those final 600 meters.

The Spanish Team and Noval's main rivals

Although all eyes will inevitably be on the new world time trial champion, Spain arrives with a team that allows for a race strategy with more alternatives.

Alongside Noval will be Aitor Martínez, Luca Martínez, and Raúl López. Aitor Martínez has won this season's Trofeo Víctor Cabedo of the Nations Cup, Luca Martínez has shown his speed even competing against riders from higher categories, and Raúl López arrives in Montreal as the junior time trial runner-up in Spain.

Spanish junior men's selection for the road race

1. Benjamín Noval
2. Aitor Martínez
3. Luca Martínez
4. Raúl López

Having several options can be especially important to prevent all tactical responsibility from falling on Noval from the first moves.

Noval's main rivals

The junior World Championship presents a particularly open scenario, and several teams arrive with riders capable of winning in very different ways.

Brandon Fedrizzi appears as one of Italy's main hopes. The Italian has 12 victories during 2026, and his two most recent wins came in long races, with rugged courses and finishes on demanding circuits. In both, he also resolved the race by winning a sprint between two riders.

Another inevitable name is Vic De Smet. The Belgian just finished second behind Noval in the time trial, just six seconds behind, but his results show that he is far from being exclusively a specialist. He has won throughout much of the season on different terrains and at the beginning of September, he won the sprint in the fourth stage of the Giro della Lunigiana, where he finished third overall. Belgium, however, arrives weakened by the absence of Seff Van Kerckhove.

Great Britain will have Finlay Storrie as another interesting option. The Brit arrives in great form after recently winning a stage in Affoltern am Albis and the Druivenkoers junior. His ability to maintain a good finish after broken races fits particularly well with what Montreal proposes.

Italy also has Patrik Pezzo Rosola, while Enzo Hincapie, the current junior road champion of the United States, Austrian Michael Hettegger, and Slovenian Maj Bohak expand a list of contenders where it is difficult to point out a single man to watch.

Schedule and where to watch the junior road World Championship

The junior men's race will start on Thursday, September 24, at 19:30 h, Spanish peninsular time —13:30 h in Montreal— and the finish is expected around 23:00 h.

In Spain, the Montreal World Championship can be followed for free through RTVE and RTVE Play, in addition to the coverage available on Eurosport/HBO Max.