There are two familiar names on the start list of the 2025 UCI Road World Championships Junior Men's time trial, as the sons of two former US Postal Service riders lead the list of contenders for the rainbow bands.
The first is Benjamin Noval (Spain), the son of the ex-pro of the same name who raced with Lance Armstrong's team in 2004 and 2005.
Noval the younger, who turns 17 on October 7, has emerged as such an impressive talent that he has already signed a contract to race with Ineos Grenadiers when he leaves the junior ranks in 2027.
Not only is Noval the double Spanish champion, he's also won 20 times this year. However, he's only turning 17 in October and is one of the youngest riders on the start list. In his first junior year, he's never competed in the world championships, so he is untested under pressure.
The next name of note is Ashlin Barry (USA), the son of Canadian Michael Barry, who raced with Armstrong between 2002 and 2005, and Dede Demet Barry, also a top professional rider.
Barry is the US junior time trial champion and has a raft of top finishes in Europe, including second in Paris-Roubaix and E3 Saxo Classic for juniors this year. He was ninth in the junior time trial at Worlds last year, but there's a big difference between racing as a 16-year-old and at 17 at this level.
Barry's biggest rival is likely to be Michael Mouris (Netherlands). He's the country's junior national champion and winner of Paris-Roubaix ahead of Barry. Mouris had a terrible time at Worlds last year, but won the European title over a distance similar to the course in Kigali.
Other riders to watch are Belgian champion Seff van Kerckhove (Belgium), who won the Giro della Lunigiana earlier this month, Italian champion Roberto Capello, and British champion Dylan Sage.
Subscribe to Cyclingnews to unlock unlimited access to our coverage of the first-ever UCI Road World Championships on African soil. Our team of journalists will bring you all the major storylines, in-depth analysis, and more directly from the action in Rwanda as the next rainbow jerseys are decided. Find out more.
