Netcompany INEOS' new junior World Champion preparing himself for World Tour debut: "I consider myself very competitive"
Cycling
Benjamín Noval is enjoying an unforgettable few weeks. The young Asturian cyclist has just turned 18 and celebrated with a string of results that place him among Spanish cycling’s greatest talents. A two-time junior world champion and European time trial champion, he has gone from being one of the most promising riders of his generation to one of the most sought-after names in Spain. Yet the media attention does not seem to have changed his approach to the sport.
In an interview with El Corte Bueno, the Ciclismo a Fondo programme, Noval looked back on his first steps on the bike, his relationship with competition and the challenges awaiting him in his next chapter with Netcompany INEOS. The Asturian says his growing popularity is especially noticeable among people around him, though he takes the interest sparked by his recent successes in his stride. “It’s a little different, but it’s better than nobody knowing who you are and achieving nothing,” he explained.
His sporting journey began long before his international titles. Cycling was a constant presence at home, thanks to his father’s influence - a former teammate of Alberto Contador, but he also played football as a striker. Choosing the bike was his own decision, without family pressure, and his progress came gradually. He recalls first standing out in the under-14 category, after early years in which victories were rare. Since then, his development has been steady.
Noval’s emergence has also reignited debate about the expectations placed on young talents. The Asturian prefers to avoid comparisons and focus on building his own sporting identity. His outlook combines competitive ambition with calm, two themes he returns to throughout the interview. With his professional future settled and a new chapter about to begin, his priority is to keep learning without rushing a career that is only just getting started.
Benjamin Noval Jr. is joining Netcompany INEOS in 2027
Growing talent, keeping his cool
One of the things that stands out about Noval is his competitive nature, which contrasts with the calm way he approaches daily life. The Asturian says he has never experienced a major loss of motivation. Although some days it is harder to head out training, he sees those difficulties as part of the process. “When I’m in a competition, I consider myself very competitive, whatever it is,” he says.
His father has had a major influence, but Noval has also had to learn to live with comparisons. In his early years, he says, people at team presentations talked more about his father than about him. Now he feels he is beginning to build an identity of his own. “I’m proud of myself too, and proud to share the same passion as my father,” he says. He is also comfortable being compared with great cyclists, as long as those comparisons motivate him to improve.
His recent international success has brought congratulations from numerous professionals. Among them, he singles out a message from Geraint Thomas, who is now part of the British team as a sports director. Alberto Contador’s reaction also moved him; Contador posted a message about the Asturian’s celebration on the finish line. Noval also values the atmosphere within the Spanish national team and his friendship with teammates such as Romeo and Iñaki Héctor, with whom he trains and races.
The young rider also champions an approach to training that balances data with feel. He recognises the importance of power figures and metrics, but believes they should not be the sole measure of performance. He points to his European time trial title, when he could not hit his target figures in the closing kilometres and had to race with what he had left. The result proved his point: “You don’t always have to hit certain numbers; sometimes a little less is enough.”
Netcompany INEOS, the move to under-23 and a new chapter on the road
Noval’s future lies with Netcompany INEOS, which secured his signing while he was still racing as a junior. He says the team had already shown interest the previous year, and having a contract in place allowed him to approach the season with greater peace of mind. Rather than worrying about finding a professional opportunity, he could focus on preparing for the biggest races and making the most of his abilities.
Adapting to the under-23 category will be one of his biggest challenges. After racing internationally in France and taking part in some events with a Basque team, Noval believes the level of under-23 racing is close to that of international junior events. The experience he gained abroad proved especially useful in preparing for the World Championships. For his next chapter, he has decided to focus on road racing and put cyclocross on hold, despite enjoying the discipline and having excelled in it too. His aim is to adapt to longer distances and sustained efforts, which can last more than five hours.
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Beyond his own career, the Asturian is concerned about the state of grassroots cycling in Spain. He warns that several junior and under-23 teams could fold, and believes the decline in teams and races is limiting opportunities to progress. In his view, international competition is vital for young riders to test themselves against different racing styles and gain experience.
The national team and squads offering calendars outside Spain can make all the difference in developing talents capable of competing in the biggest races.
His advice to those just starting out reflects the philosophy that has guided his own development. Noval urges patience, good planning and avoiding excessive training in the younger categories. “Enjoy the bike, your friends and the places you discover with it,” he recommends, convinced that increasing the workload too soon can cut a sporting career short.
The Asturian is approaching his step up to the professional ranks with ambition, but without losing his sense of caution: he wants to make the most of his talent, learn from the best and build his path one step at a time.
Javier RampeCycling Journalist
Javier Rampe is a sports analyst with more than 15 years of experience. He holds a degree in Economics from the University of Rome and a Diploma in Business Studies from the University of Cádiz. Despite coming from an academic background not particularly associated with cycling, his passion for both cycling and journalism was instilled in him from an early age. He grew up following Miguel Indurain and José María “El Chava” Jiménez. An admirer of Michael Robinson’s communication style and journalistic approach, he was inspired to pursue a degree in Journalism at the University of Buenos Aires, which he is currently completing.
He has always maintained close ties with the worlds of sport and culture, contributing from a young age to sports blogs and film and music review websites. His work has appeared in media outlets such as Cope, RAI, and Radio Con Vos. He is also the founder of the cycling-focused podcast El Contraanálisis and the football interview channel Días De Fútbol, dedicated to conversations with professional footballers.
In addition to his work at Ciclismoaldia, Javier has interviewed some of the most influential figures in modern cycling, including Alejandro Valverde and Tadej Pogačar, as well as key voices in anti-doping policy such as Alberto Yelmo, David Varillas, and Marcelo Milano. Marcos Maynar, in relation to the ‘Operación Ílex’ case, is also among the personalities he has interviewed. He enjoys conducting in-depth analysis of the cycling ecosystem and has attended major events such as Strade Bianche, the Vuelta a Andalucía, and Itzulia, as well as numerous national cyclo-cross races.
His background in economics, combined with extensive experience in marketing and corporate communications, drives his continuous study of positioning strategies and ensures that he always keeps his focus on crafting compelling and evocative headlines.
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- is that the standard for sharing thoughts here?OCexile17-10-2026
- If he was less brilliant than usual at the Tour, then I don't even want to imagine his 'usual' level of brilliance.Cooldude17-10-2026
- ok, i take back my wish. you’re right, i didn’t stop to think about how much i was damaging the sport. that was a close one. sometimes i forget how much power i wield and how capricious i can be…OCexile17-10-2026
- Reducing speed is not something that can realistically happen. This is all just a smokescreen for avoiding talking about the real solutions, such as airbags. A comparison to a more binary sport such as rock climbing (not free solo) would show this: Saying "go slower" is the same as "do easier climbs" Saying "use airbags" is like "use better harnesses"...
Rafionain-Glas17-10-2026 - Globalisation of pro cyclingRafionain-Glas17-10-2026
- So people are now guilty by virtue of having lived in a certain set of decades? Wonder how that argument would hold up in court?LMAO.
Brucegel17-10-2026 - you can reduce speed by increasing bike weight and increasing air resistance but it will penalize riders with lower weight a lot. also downhill reaches 100k/hr and sprints reach 70-80k/hr, how do you even control that. these are the times of most accidents anywayabstractengineer17-10-2026
- Just trying to gall the reader for clicks.Seems to be working.Just ignore the assinine article.Brucegel17-10-2026
- in football also, The Special one is like a dictator controlling the egos of Ibra and other top footballers. Also Alex Ferguson was very abusive sometimes violent too but all of it gets swept under the rug due to the accomplishments. Even today i would say that verbal abuse and screaming still remains the best tool of most managers to motivate their players next to benching and fear of trade.abstractengineer17-10-2026
- At least all that doping talk will end when (if) Seixas becomes world #1vappaxbipmv17-10-2026
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