Benjamín Noval wins the Junior Road World Championship and caps a historic Worlds with two gold medals

Benjamín Noval already has two rainbow jerseys in Montreal. Just two days after being crowned world junior time trial champion, the Asturian has also conquered the road race after a tremendously offensive race that he resolved with an attack with almost 27 kilometers to go. Simon Defrance was second at 42 seconds and Elias Wändel completed the podium at 2:12.

Benjamín Noval wins the Junior Road Cycling World Championship and completes a perfect World Championship with two titles

He arrived as one of the big favorites and with the added pressure of having shown just 48 hours earlier that he was probably the strongest man in the championship. But Benjamín Noval did not wait for the race to reach its final kilometers.

Spain took on a leading role early in a 134-kilometer race with ten laps of the demanding Montreal circuit. Luca Martínez was involved in one of the first significant moves, and later Raúl López and Aitor Martínez also made their presence felt at the front.

RECOMENDADO

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

Benjamín Noval makes history and is crowned Junior Time Trial World Champion

Pinarello brings new colours to its gravel racing bike

UCI chooses Benidorm: the 2031 Cyclocross World Championships will be held in Spain

The UCI tightens security in 2027 and changes the date of the Women's Tour

The race reached its halfway point with several groups interspersed and Noval still within the peloton. However, about 45 kilometers from the finish, the world time trial champion began to clearly show his intentions. First, he broke away with Patrik Pezzo Rosola and, from that moment on, he practically did not stop attacking.

Noval was selecting the chasing group with his accelerations. Brandon Fedrizzi, Owen Kings, Pezzo Rosola, and Simon Defrance were among the few capable of initially keeping up with his moves, while the gap to the race leaders was decreasing.

An attack with almost 27 kilometers to go to win the World Championship

With just over two laps to go, Noval and Defrance finally managed to catch up with the leaders. But for the Spaniard, it was not enough to just reach the breakaway.

Practically as he passed the finish line, before starting the penultimate lap, Noval attacked again. This time no one could follow him. The Asturian faced the Côte Camillien-Houde alone and began a time trial of almost 27 kilometers towards the second rainbow jersey of the week.

Benjamín Noval is on fire

The Spanish rider has launched countless attacks — this is getting even more intense

He’s clearly trying to shake everyone off his wheel and get as fast as possible to the front of the race#Montréal2026 pic.twitter.com/hzPr1SZaYS

— UCI (@UCI_cycling) September 24, 2026

Behind, the Frenchmen Simon Defrance and Lancelot Gayant tried to organize the chase. Defrance would eventually break away alone and managed to stabilize the gap around half a minute, but Noval always managed to keep him at bay.

The Spaniard entered the final lap with about 30 seconds of advantage and still 13.4 kilometers ahead. The effort was starting to show after all the attacks made during the race, but the gap proved sufficient.

Noval finally crossed the finish line alone after 3:23:35, at an average speed of 39.492 km/h. Defrance arrived 42 seconds later to take the silver.

The battle for bronze took place more than two minutes later. Elias Wändel was the fastest of the chasing group and finished third at 2:12, ahead of Owen Kings and Michael Hettegger.

From time trial to road: two rainbows in just two days

The result completes an extraordinary World Championship for a rider who is still 17 years old. On Tuesday, Noval had been crowned junior world time trial champion after beating Belgian Vic De Smet by six seconds.

Two days later, he completely changed his approach. While the first title came in an individual effort of 20.2 kilometers, the second was achieved after more than three hours of racing, multiple attacks, and a final breakaway of almost 27 kilometers.

The victory also represents the first junior men's world title on the road for Spain since Miguel Morras in 1994.

Noval thus concludes his participation in Montreal with a full set of victories: two races contested and two rainbow jerseys. A result that caps off his last season before making the leap to Netcompany-INEOS in 2027.

Top 10 Junior Road World Championship 2026

1. Benjamín Noval (Spain) — 3:23:35
2. Simon Defrance (France) — +0:42
3. Elias Wändel (Sweden) — +2:12
4. Owen Kings (Germany) — +2:12
5. Michael Hettegger (Austria) — +2:12
6. Gal Stare (Slovenia) — +2:17
7. Brandon Davide Fedrizzi (Italy) — +2:26
8. Enzo Hincapie (United States) — +2:26
9. Sander Willems (Belgium) — +2:26
10. Patrik Pezzo Rosola (Italy) — +2:26