{"id":803221,"date":"2026-10-15T08:54:31","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T08:54:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/803221\/"},"modified":"2026-10-15T08:54:31","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T08:54:31","slug":"benjamin-noval-is-like-evenepoel-and-hector-alvarez-like-van-aert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/803221\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cBenjam\u00edn Noval is like Evenepoel and H\u00e9ctor \u00c1lvarez like Van Aert\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"


\nBenjam\u00edn Noval is one of the young riders to have attracted the most attention, thanks to his ability to race with a maturity beyond his years. A two-time junior world champion<\/a>, he stands out not only for his physical attributes but also for the composure with which he approaches races and his ability to read each situation.<\/p>\n

F\u00e9lix Garc\u00eda Casas sees similarities between Noval\u2019s profile and Remco Evenepoel\u2019s, particularly in their versatility and understanding of the sport. \u201cHis maturity is surprising, as is his ability to analyse a race and the composure he shows at such a young age. He seems to have been racing as a professional for years. Based on what he does, I would compare him with Evenepoel; he has that kind of profile. He is also very versatile, in the modern mould, and capable of racing on the road, in cyclo-cross or mountain biking,\u201d the RFEC technical director explains.<\/p>\n

Garc\u00eda Casas particularly highlights Noval\u2019s ability to compete across different disciplines. His assessment points to a rider with the tools to adapt to varied terrain and formats, a quality that strengthens the high expectations surrounding him.<\/p>\n

\"Benjam\u00edn<\/p>\n

Benjam\u00edn Noval, a two-time junior world champion in 2026.<\/p>\n

H\u00e9ctor \u00c1lvarez, a versatile rider in the mould of Van Aert<\/p>\n

Versatility is also one of H\u00e9ctor \u00c1lvarez\u2019s main strengths. The two-time European champion has the attributes to perform in a range of settings, although Garc\u00eda Casas believes the Classics could be an ideal arena for him to make the most of his qualities.<\/p>\n

The RFEC technical director admits that comparing riders with the peloton\u2019s greats is difficult, but points to one name that could help describe the young Spaniard\u2019s profile. \u201cIt is very difficult to compare a rider with other leading figures in the peloton, but Wout van Aert may be the closest comparison for H\u00e9ctor \u00c1lvarez. I see him mainly as a Classics rider; I think he has that profile. Above all, though, he is a versatile, strong rider who performs well on different terrain and is also an excellent track rider,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

Beyond the comparison with the Belgian rider, Garc\u00eda Casas stresses \u00c1lvarez\u2019s ability to combine physical strength, adaptability to different courses and strong track performances. Together, those qualities give him several possible paths for his sporting development.<\/p>\n

Alejandra Neira still has room to grow<\/p>\n

In women\u2019s cycling, Alejandra Neira has also given cause for optimism after becoming junior world champion. Gema Pascual particularly praises her strength, saying she was the strongest rider in the group that contested the victory in the final sprint.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was the least explosive and fastest rider in the group racing for world gold, yet she won the sprint because she was the strongest,\u201d the women\u2019s national team coach says. For Pascual, that victory reflects qualities beyond pure speed and leaves plenty of scope for further improvement.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is the rider with the most development and progress still ahead of her. She still has a lot to polish. Her profile is similar to Paula Ostiz\u2019s. She sees herself as a climber, but I tell her she is just as good on the flat,\u201d Pascual adds. Her assessment highlights a rider who can still develop across different types of terrain and who, for now, has yet to reach her full potential.<\/p>\n

Paula Blasi, a talented climber with results to match<\/p>\n

Paula Blasi is another rider who inspires optimism about the future of Spanish women\u2019s cycling. Gema Pascual describes her as a natural climber and notes that her progress has already brought victories at the highest level. The 2025 under-23 European champion has also made the step up to the professional ranks with results that confirm her potential.<\/p>\n

\u201cBlasi is pure talent, a natural climber. She has won the Vuelta and the Amstel, finished fifth at the Tour, and we still expect more from her,\u201d Pascual says. She also recalls first hearing about Blasi through a recommendation from Marta Vilajosana, a former fellow rider.<\/p>\n

\u201cMarta Vilajosana, who raced with me, once told me about a very good cyclist coming from duathlon. We backed her, and here she is. She is incredible, and she still has more to give,\u201d the national team coach adds. Her words reflect her confidence in a rider who has already achieved notable results and, in Pascual\u2019s view, still has plenty of room to grow.<\/p>\n

Paula Ostiz, talent, hard work and ambition<\/p>\n

Paula Ostiz completes the group of young riders assessed by the RFEC officials. Her profile combines power, time-trial ability and an ambition that Gema Pascual considers essential to her development. The coach also praises Ostiz\u2019s adjustment to the professional peloton in her first year, despite missing two months through injury.<\/p>\n

\u201cTalent and hard work. Those are the two words that define Paula Ostiz. She is very complete and very ambitious. She is not a climber, but she is powerful and excels in time trials,\u201d Pascual explains.<\/p>\n

The head of Spain\u2019s women\u2019s team also stresses that Ostiz still has room to develop her qualities. \u201cShe still has a lot to develop. After two months out injured, she adapted well to the professional ranks in her first year. She still has a lot to give us,\u201d she concludes.<\/p>\n

The assessments from Garc\u00eda Casas and Pascual show the range of profiles emerging in Spanish cycling. Noval and \u00c1lvarez stand out for their versatility, while Neira, Blasi and Ostiz each bring different qualities and, in their coaches\u2019 view, significant room for improvement. These five riders have already achieved notable results, and the RFEC has high hopes for them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Benjam\u00edn Noval is one of the young riders to have attracted the most attention, thanks to his…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":803222,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[263769,4985,263768,7133,101,56,54,55,8783],"class_list":["post-803221","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-benjamin-noval-jr","tag-cycling","tag-hector-alvarez","tag-remco-evenepoel","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-wout-van-aert"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/803221","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=803221"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/803221\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/803222"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=803221"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=803221"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=803221"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}