"This season has been incredibly frustrating" - Stephen Williams sidelined again with a lingering knee injury

Stephen Williams made a huge impression in 2024, winning the Tour Down Under, La Fleche Wallonne and the Tour of Britain. But since the home race triumph, things went a bit sideways for the Israel - Premier Tech revelation and across the 16 race days in 2025, Williams has not even entered a top-20.

For a while, we were left guessing what had gone wrong, but now there's finally an update from the 29-year-old. "The 2025 season hasn’t gone to plan, so I want to share a bit of an update about why I haven’t been racing," Williams begins a story shared via team socials. "Since the start of my season in Australia, I’ve had an issue with my right knee, a quadriceps tendinopathy, which is very tricky to manage, and it hasn’t resolved."

The 2024 Mur de Huy champion returned to defend his crown at the La Fleche Wallonne in April, but he didn't get far before being forced to abandon the race. "I was able to come back for Giro d’Abruzzo and the Ardennes, but since then, things still aren’t completely right."

The message from his body was clear: a pause was necessary. "Unfortunately, this means I won’t be able to race the national championships in Wales or the Tour De France. I’m gutted to miss them, especially racing Nationals in front of a home crowd."

The Welshman is confident in his swift return, even if won't be sooner rather than later. "But, I’m working really hard to get back to full fitness with the support of the team, and I hope I’ll be back on the start line soon. As a cyclist, the only thing you want to do is race, so this season has been incredibly frustrating, but I know that these things can’t be rushed," he concludes.