Benjamin Noval Sr. rode for Armstrong and Contador; now his world champion son is being compared to Van der Poel

Noval, who will be moving up to the pro team of Netcompany INEOS next season—skipping the U23 ranks—won the 20-kilometer time trial on the Canadian east coast by six seconds over Belgian Vic De Smet. “It’s a fantastic day. This was one of my main goals for this year,” he said, sounding very pleased afterward.

"After last year's crash, I set a goal for myself to go to the World Championships and win there. I knew it would be very difficult, but I believed it was possible and that I could compete for the victory. The first part was technical, but the final stretch was full throttle. That’s where I was able to pull ahead of the other competitors and secure the win.”

The name Noval is well known in the world of cycling. His father, Benjamin was a highly regarded domestique at the professional level for many years. In 2004 and 2005, he rode the Tour de France alongside Lance Armstrong, and then went on to support Alberto Contador until the end of his career in 2013.

Who is Noval Junior’s idol? “I didn’t really have one specific idol, but I thought Alberto Contador was a fantastic rider. But my dad is the best support I could ask for, along with my mum and my sister. My whole family helps me at home, and even on the bad days, they’re always there for me.”

"That's truly invaluable. My dad also gives me a lot of advice on which lines to take and how to ride. He helps me through both the good times and the bad, just like the rest of the team," says the Spaniard.

Noval finished fourth at this year’s Cyclocross World Championships and is often compared to Mathieu van der Poel in Spain. He himself doesn’t want to jump to that conclusion, understandably. “Mathieu is an incredible rider. I don’t want to directly compare myself to him, but I try to give it my all in every aspect. Personally, I see myself mainly as a climber, but I try to do everything as well as I can.”

He’ll be trying to do the same on Thursday, during the road race in Canada. “First, I just want to enjoy this moment, because it’s amazing. Then I’ll refocus on the road race alongside the national team and my teammates. We’re going to try to win, even though I know it’ll be really tough. At least the pressure has eased up a bit now.”