Links to Lance Armstrong and an anti-doping investigation at age 15 - How INEOS' teenage world champion bounced back to Rainbow Jersey glory in Montreal
CyclingSunday, 27 September 2026 at 17:30
Benjamín Noval left Montreal with two Rainbow Jerseys, a place alongside Remco Evenepoel in junior cycling history and his reputation as one of the brightest teenage talents in the sport strengthened further still.
Two years earlier, his rise had come close to being interrupted before it had properly begun.
Noval was just 15 when a physiological test at Navacerrada drew him into an anti-doping investigation involving José 'Pepe' Martí, the former US Postal trainer whose role in the doping programme surrounding Lance Armstrong eventually earned him a 15-year ban.
The case did not involve any allegation that Noval himself had doped. Instead, Spain's anti-doping authorities investigated his association with a banned member of athlete support personnel, with an 18-month suspension initially proposed before the proceedings ultimately expired.
Benjamin Noval in action during the time trial
How a 15-year-old Noval became caught up in the Armstrong fallout
His father, also named Benjamín, spent more than a decade as a professional and rode alongside Armstrong at US Postal and Discovery Channel before later becoming one of Alberto Contador's trusted domestiques. The younger Noval subsequently developed through the MMR academy led by Olympic champion Samuel Sánchez.
Martí worked as a trainer with US Postal and Discovery Channel during the Armstrong years. USADA records show that he was sanctioned over his involvement in the team's doping programme, with the Court of Arbitration for Sport later increasing his period of ineligibility to 15 years. CAS described Martí and team doctor Pedro Celaya as "indispensable participants" in the widespread doping system overseen by Johan Bruyneel.
Despite that suspension, Martí travelled to Navacerrada in April 2024 for a session involving the then 15-year-old Noval. According to El País, Noval was completing repeated one-kilometre uphill efforts towards the car park of the Arcipreste de Hita hotel while Martí measured his lactate levels as part of an exercise test.
Spanish UCO officers were already monitoring Martí over whether he was complying with his suspension. When they approached the group, they found Martí alongside Noval and his father.
Under the World Anti-Doping Code, athletes can commit a rule violation by knowingly associating in a professional or sport-related capacity with support personnel who are serving a period of ineligibility.
El País reports that Spain's anti-doping agency, CELAD, initially proposed an 18-month suspension for Noval, who was still racing in the cadet ranks. Noval acknowledged the mistake, said it stemmed from a lack of knowledge and expressed regret. His age and the circumstances surrounding the session were later taken into account by both CELAD and the disciplinary tribunal.
On 5 November 2025, more than a year after the Navacerrada test, the case was declared expired because the proceedings had exceeded the permitted 12-month processing period.
INEOS had already announced in June 2025 that Noval would join the team in 2027, committing to him while he was still only 16 and before he had completed his first junior season.
That year brought victories at the Vuelta Ciclista al Besaya and GP F.W.R. Baron. At the World Championships in Kigali, Noval attacked on the penultimate climb of the junior road race and cut eventual champion Harry Hudson's advantage from around 40 seconds to 15 before crashing with fewer than three kilometres remaining.
Read also
From Kigali heartbreak to a historic Montreal double
Noval returned for his second junior season in 2026 and again collected Spanish titles across road, time trial, cyclocross and mountain bike. He also won the Ain Bugey Valromey Tour, improving on his third place from the previous year.
In Montreal, he struck first in the 20.3-kilometre individual time trial. Fourth at the opening checkpoint, Noval produced the fastest middle section of the race and stopped the clock at 25:17.35, beating Belgium's Vic De Smet by 6.35 seconds.
“After last year, I think it was already time to get it done,” Noval said after pulling on his first Rainbow Jersey.
Forty-eight hours later, he lined up for the 134-kilometre junior road race around Mont Royal. Noval attacked from the peloton before bridging to the front with around 30 kilometres remaining. As the leaders crossed the line with two laps to go, he accelerated again and rode clear alone.
Simon Defrance emerged as the strongest pursuer, but the Frenchman could not bring him back. Noval reached the finish 42 seconds ahead, with Sweden's Elias Wändel more than two minutes down in third. “From the start I felt really good, I had very good sensations,” Noval said afterwards. “When I decided to attack, I didn't look back until the finish line.”
Only Evenepoel, at Innsbruck in 2018, had previously completed the junior men's road and time-trial double at the same World Championships. Noval crossed the line with the pistol celebration made famous by Contador, the rider he has long regarded as an idol and one of his father's former teammates.
On 1 January 2027, Noval is due to step directly into the WorldTour with INEOS at just 18 years and 86 days old.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- That would be funny, except in this age you’ve now probably given some AI scammer an idea how to get fans to click on fake links in the hope of discovering insider info before info media. It’s far easier to keep riders sticking to rules out of fining fear for the UCI if they stay vague. Riders have the right to protest if they feel unfairly treated, in the meantime, I think the constant moaning from fans for trying to apply rules (far more than fined riders themselves) has taught them not to publish too much, unlike Trump.Mistermaumau27-09-2026
- It says, the jury report doesn’t specify.Mistermaumau27-09-2026
- No specific moment in the race, or clarification over what the illegal position was, is detailed in the race communique???? These f**** are doing anything they want... just like Trump. UCI=Trump.PogiSloFans27-09-2026
- You can get the full report by contacting [email protected]
vannpelt27-09-2026 - lol seems that way. wondering why the site didn't diverge it.mij27-09-2026
- Sssh... it's a secret (uci moneymaking made useless by small fines)
Rafionain-Glas27-09-2026 - what was the position?mij27-09-2026
- Del Toro is one of my favourites, but when he won in Montreal he was supported by his trade team-mates, who had to calm his self-doubt. Don't know how he'll fare on his own.Hills3327-09-2026
- Lowkey this would actually be really cool @Rafionain-Glasanonymouscyclist27-09-2026
- So you put Remco in the last place...I think he should be higher up the scale. His daddy is already saying: "Remco will win. Pogačar should almost be happy he's injured, because Remco would win in any case."PogiSloFans27-09-2026
Loading
Write a comment