No Tour de France for Victor Lafay who needed to undergo a surgery to finall get rid of knee pain
CyclingFriday, 09 May 2025 at 05:00
Victor Lafay is quickly turning into one of major what ifs. After his stellar performances at the 2023 Tour de France, everyone predicted the Frenchman would become a major force at the Ardennes - but no such luck.
Since his transfer to Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, Lafay added only 46 race days and won't be able add to this number for the time being. Instead, a knee problem that hampered Lafay for first part of 2024 returned with even greater force. Ultimately, the team doctors made the call to have Lafay undergo a surgery with hopes to finally get rid his pain.
"He had to undergo surgery," his employer reported on X. "Last Monday, the procedure was successfully performed. He will now take a month off to recover before he can resume training. He is expected to return to racing in August."
That means that not only will Lafay miss out on the Tour de France for a second year in a row, his position on transfer market will be weakened as well as 2025 happens to be the 29-year-old's transfer year. With expected return in August, Lafay can still try to get in shape for the Classics in Canada and perhaps aim for another top-5 at Tour of Guangxi. But those are not the goals he dreamed off 18 months ago...
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- Merckx has a crazy number of wins, but so many were meaningless crits. for quality wins, Tadej rivals or surpasses him at similar ages.mij30-05-2025
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KerisVroom30-05-2025 - Agree MIJ: this version of Ayuso, a victim mistreated by his team because in the middle of the stage they didn't stop his job hugging him, kissing him, singing him a soothing lullaby can only be conceived by an excited fan (Mr Flecha).
maria2024202430-05-2025 - really? I watched a team that pulled del Toro back because wanted Ayuso captain (stage 11, del Toro could easily catch up Carapaz, but stayed back helping Ayuso, stage 13, Km Red Bull, del Toro stopped to allow Ayuso won seconds). This version of "Ayuso victim" make me laugh. He is arrogant, selfish, never pull for others, he thinks is Merckx... no, he is not. I hope this Giro helps him to mature and give him a dose of reality.maria2024202430-05-2025
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Senna196030-05-2025 - And maybe he struggles to maintain a competitive weight. In cycling it's a major disadvantage.maria2024202430-05-2025
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Lafay is the classic example of you get a great TDF stage win, get a lucrative contract and then you dont perform ever again, due to partying or injuries.
His injury problems were known to his past team who still tried to re-sign him, who’s fault, especially if the medical team fails to resolve problems? Not sure it’s offered or possible but teams are free to consider insurance or contract clauses in order to mitigate financial risks.