Spain’s Next Big Thing Just Matched Evenepoel’s Rare Junior Worlds Double

Montréal worlds delivered its first breakout star Thursday with Spain’s Benjamín Noval winning the men’s junior road race.

The 17-year-old attacked late in Thursday’s 134km race and soloed home to victory to add the road title to the time trial crown he won two days before.

One of cycling’s most closely watched prospects delivered on the hype in the first day of road racing at the UCI Road World Championships.

“I want to thank all my teammates. Everyone did a great job for me during the entire race,” Noval said. “I felt good and when I saw the moment, I attacked, I got a gap, I didn’t look back and just pushed to the finish line.”

Noval’s time trial victory had already marked him as a favorite for Thursday’s race. He still had to find the opening, make the move, and hold off the chase.

American Enzo Hincapie finished eighth in the chasing group, 2:26 behind Noval, to lead Team USA.

Road racing opened earlier Thursday with the women’s U23 race, with Slovakia’s Viktória Chladoňová, 19, out-sprinting Canada’s Isabella Holmgren to win the rainbow jersey. Katherine Sarkisov led Team USA with seventh place at the line.

Fast track for the WorldTour

The double puts Noval in rare company.

Remco Evenepoel was the last rider to win both junior world titles in 2018.

The name will be familiar to longtime fans. His father, also Benjamín Noval, rode alongside Alberto Contador during much of the “Pistolero’s” professional career.

The younger Noval hails from Spain’s Asturias region and has already racked up 40 junior victories across stages, GC, and one-day races during the past two seasons.

Netcompany-Ineos saw enough to sign him for 2027 and 2028, putting him on the fast-track to jump directly from the junior ranks to the WorldTour.

Is he Spain’s next big thing? He can climb, time trial, and races with confidence and instinct.

After the Montréal worlds double, he’s certainly off to a very good start.