Benjamín Noval Claims Junior TT Gold in Montreal

The air in Montreal hangs cool and thick, a mere 13 degrees Celsius under a sky bruised with overcast grey. On the winding asphalt, Benjamín Noval locks into his aerodynamic tuck, the wind roaring past his ears as he navigates the technical opening descent. His rhythm is metronomic, precise, slicing through the resistance with a calm that belies the intensity of the 20.3-kilometer hunt.

He holds his line through the first split, sitting just three seconds off the pace. Then, on the flat stretch running alongside the St. Lawrence River, he shifts gears. The final 400 meters rise sharply, a 6.1% gradient that has grounded many riders before him. Noval stands, pedals with ferocity, and crosses the line to claim the gold medal in 25:23, leaving Belgium’s Vic de Smet six seconds behind.

Sprint finish seals the victory

The course is a labyrinth of 29 turns, a repeat of the path taken by the U23 women the previous day. It demands constant shifting, a dance of power and precision. Noval averages 48.2 km/h, a speed that feels effortless in his hands but punishing for the chasers. De Smet, who started faster, sees his lead evaporate by the second checkpoint at 14.5 kilometers, dropping to ten seconds behind.

Despite a late surge, De Smet cannot close the gap. He stays in the aero position all the way to the finish, his silver medal time of 25:23 a testament to his consistency but not enough to stop the Spanish teenager. The bronze medal goes to Denmark’s Malthe Risbjerg, who manages to claw back time in the second half, finishing in 25:34, sixteen seconds off the winning mark.

Wide open field after departures

The competition is fragmented by absence. Last year’s winner, Michiel Mouris, and runner-up Ashlin Barry, have moved up to the under-23 ranks. Belgium’s Seff Van Kerckhove is missing after a training accident. This leaves the field wide open, with no clear favorite until the first riders hit the road.

Zimbabwe’s Rohnan Nicholson sets the initial benchmark at 27:52, only for Slovenia’s Vanja Kuntarič to steal the hot seat with a blistering 26:25. For forty minutes, Kuntarič’s time stands as the barrier to break. Riders like Mexico’s Jose Rodriguez and New Zealand’s Alex Botha come close, but none can unseat him until the later starters begin to push the pace.

Danish champion falls short

The pressure builds as the order of start approaches the end. Julius Løvstrup Birkedal, the reigning Danish junior time trial champion, sits in the hot seat for a tense period. He posts the fastest time at the 14.5-kilometer mark, signaling his intent to challenge for the podium.

But the finish line is unforgiving. Birkedal ultimately finishes fourth, clocking 25:38. He misses the podium by a hair, just five hundredths of a second ahead of Italy’s Patrik Pezzo Rosola. As reported by cyclingnews.com, the final seconds of the race were a blur of effort and exhaustion, with every rider giving everything to the line.