Héctor Álvarez puts Spain on the podium in the U23 time trial at the World Championships

Spain has debuted its U-23 medal tally at the Montreal 2026 World Championship thanks to Héctor Álvarez, who finished third in the men's individual time trial. The Spanish rider was in a position to fight for the rainbow jersey for much of the 31.3 kilometers, but ultimately gave way to the surprising Dutchman Ryan Gal and the Italian Nicolas Milesi. 

In the women's category, Australian Felicity Wilson-Haffenden confirmed her status as the favorite and became the world champion ahead of Nienke Vinke and Luca Vierstraete.

Héctor Álvarez takes bronze after starting strong in the U-23 Time Trial World Championship

The men's race delivered one of the great results for the Spanish team at the start of the World Championship. Héctor Álvarez set out determined to seek the title and recorded the best times at the first intermediate points. At the first, he was almost eight seconds ahead of Mads Landbo and still held the best time at the second checkpoint.

But Ryan Gal had planned a completely different time trial. The Dutchman improved as the race progressed and delivered an extraordinary second half. His time of 37:26 ended up being unattainable even for the last favorites.

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Nicolas Milesi was the closest, finishing 7 seconds behind, while Álvarez crossed the finish line 11 seconds later, securing bronze for Spain. The result confirms the young Spanish rider among the important names of his generation in a discipline where he was considered one of the main contenders.

Top 5 Men

1. Ryan Gal (Netherlands) – 37:26
2. Nicolas Milesi (Italy) – +7"
3. Héctor Álvarez (Spain) – +11"
4. Ashlin Barry (United States) – +33"
5. Mads Landbo (Denmark) – +35"

Wilson-Haffenden dominates the women's time trial

In the women's event, held over 20.3 kilometers, Felicity Wilson-Haffenden ended up showcasing her superiority after a much more closely contested start than expected.

The Australian stopped the clock at 27:40, finishing 28 seconds ahead of Dutchwoman Nienke Vinke. The bronze went to Belgian Luca Vierstraete, 45 seconds back, after an extremely tight battle with Viktória Chladoňová, who finished fourth by less than a second.

Spanish rider Paula Ostiz, one of the contenders highlighted before the start, fell just short of breaking into the Top 10 with her 12th position.

Top 5 Women

1. Felicity Wilson-Haffenden (Australia) – 27:40
2. Nienke Vinke (Netherlands) – +28"
3. Luca Vierstraete (Belgium) – +45"
4. Viktória Chladoňová (Slovakia) – +45"
5. Mackenzie Coupland (Australia) – +46"