The Spanish national team finished the 2026 Montreal Road Cycling World Championships with five medals—three of them gold—and a young generation that played a leading role throughout the week.
Spain wraps up the 2026 Montreal Road Cycling World Championships with one of its most impressive showings in recent years: five medals—three gold, one silver, and one bronze. The team’s performance was particularly notable in the junior and U-23 categories.
The standout performer of the Spanish team was Benjamín Noval, who had a nearly perfect World Championships. At just 17 years old, the Asturian cyclist won gold in the junior individual time trial and, barely two days later, once again donned the rainbow jersey after also winning the road race.
An exceptional double victory that, in the junior men’s category, had previously been achieved only by Remco Evenepoel. In the road race, Noval attacked during the decisive stretch and rode solo through the final kilometers to cross the finish line 42 seconds ahead of France’s Simon Defrance.
Tres maillots arcoíris para España
The third gold medal came courtesy of Alejandra Neira. The 18-year-old Galician cyclist was crowned junior world road champion after beating Italy’s Matilde Rossignoli and Switzerland’s Anja Grossmann in a small sprint finish at the end of the 80.4-kilometer Mont-Royal circuit.
Her victory also allowed Spain to retain the rainbow jersey in the junior women’s category for the second consecutive year, following Paula Ostiz’s victory in 2025.
Héctor Álvarez Wins Two Medals in the U-23 Division
Another standout at the World Championships was Héctor Álvarez, who left Montreal with two medals.
The cyclist from Benidorm kicked off the championship by winning the bronze medal in the Under-23 time trial, finishing just 11.88 seconds behind the world title. Four days later, he returned to the podium to claim the silver medal in the road race, where he finished 53 seconds behind American Ashlin Barry.
With these two results, Álvarez capped off a performance that confirms his progress as part of a Spanish generation that is beginning to make its mark at the highest international level.
Five medals and a promising future
Spain’s final tally in Montreal is as follows:
- 🥇 Benjamín Noval – Junior World Time Trial Champion
- 🥇 Benjamín Noval – Junior Road World Champion
- 🥇 Alejandra Neira – Junior Road World Champion
- 🥈 Héctor Álvarez – Silver medalist at the U-23 World Road Championships
- 🥉 Héctor Álvarez – Bronze medalist in the U-23 World Time Trial Championships
Spain also finished sixth in the mixed team time trial, while in the elite categories, the best result for the men was Juan Ayuso’s 13th-place finish in the road race.
The World Championships were held in Montreal from September 20 to 27, bringing together nearly a thousand cyclists from about 100 countries and bringing the championship back to the Canadian city 52 years after the 1974 event.
For RALI Bikes, as an official sponsor of the Royal Spanish Cycling Federation, these results also reflect the growth and enormous potential of the new generations of Spanish cyclists.
Three rainbow jerseys, five medals, and a week to remember. Montreal 2026 makes it clear that the future of Spanish cycling is coming on strong. 🇪🇸🌈
