Joe Blackmore can finally look ahead to a racing return following a knee surgery

The absence of Joe Blackmore is not about to end any time soon, however a ray of hope to end the young Brit's problems has emerged. The 23-year-old had undergone a surgery to treat his knee injury, aiming to not postpone his racing return with NSN Cycling Team any further than necessary.

Blackmore is an undisputed talent of British cycling. Coming over to road racing with mountain bike background, the versatile Brit immediately impressed on several fronts during his transition to highest level, winning Tour de l'Avenir in 2024. A year later, he had won Brabantse Pijl and reached top-15 at La Fleche Wallonne and Amstel Gold Race.

The 2026 season should've been yet another step forward in Blackmore's career, but a knee injury meant that he's yet to appear in the new NSN kit with last competitive start dating back to 2025 World Championships in Kigali.

"Joe has undergone surgery in Belgium with Dr. Claes, after being unable to race this year due to persistent knee pain. As no progress was being made, it was decided to perform a diagnostic arthroscopy (a medical procedure to diagnose and treat joint problems, ed.)," his team NSN Cycling reports on X.

"It soon became apparent that Joe was suffering from an infrapatellar plica (a congenital synovial fold in the knee joint, ed.). This has since been successfully treated. The NSN medical staff is very optimistic that this approach will ensure a full recovery and that Joe will soon be fully fit to bear weight again, during training and in races."

The team cannot yet say anything about the duration of his rehabilitation or when Blackmore will be allowed to wear a race number again. Typically, the recovery period can be between two and six months. With high-performance athlete most likely closer towards the former.