"Clogged arteries at the age of 24 definitely wasn't on my bingo card" - Johannes Staune-Mittet's season is over in July
Cycling
Decathlon CMA CGM have many talented individuals among their ranks, led by Paul Seixas and Olav Kooij. But the Norwegian climber Johannes Staune-Mittet joined last winter with just as great ambitions after he broke out of his contract at Visma | Lease a Bike to join the French formation.
As a 2023 Giro Next Gen champion, Staune-Mittet as a high-quality GC prospect preceeded his entry to WorldTour. And while it's taken a bit of time for the Norwegian to grow accustomed to the new level, he eventually started to display glimpses of his potential again in 2025 with 12th overall in both Tour de Romandie and Tour de Pologne.
However the new season did not meet the 24-year-old in a good state. Despite a mediocre run-up, Staune-Mittet headed to Giro d'Italia in support of Felix Gall, and even finished 34th overall himself. But the feeling was sub-optimal for a while, as the Decathlon rider reveals the reason:
"Clogged arteries at the age of 24 was definitely not on my 2026 bingo card," Staune-Mittet opens in his Instagram story. "Over the past month, we have been searching for answers to why it has felt like the handbrake has been on for a while. Happy to finally know that this is caused by stenosis in my iliac arteries."
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No more racing in 2026
While the Norwegian doesn't yet have clear plan of recovery, as much as is known that he would not compete again in 2026. His last racing appointment of the season was therefore the French stage 2.1 race La Route d'Occitanie in mid-June where Staune-Mittet finished 23rd overall.
"Currently waiting for an exact surgery date. As much as it hurts to only be supporting the boys from the couch for the rest of the season, I am at the same time relieved to have the opportunity to return a good level."
Common injury
Iliac artery problems are not uncommon to the professional peloton in recent years. Among top riders; Fabio Jakobsen, Cian Uijtdebroeks or Zdenek Stybar had to - more or less successfully - deal with this health complication.
Generally speaking, the trend is that younger riders such as Uijtdebroeks tend to have slightly smoother return as compared to seasoned veterans.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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