Tobias Johannessen reveals recent knee injury had him consider retiring

Tobias Johannessen has emerged as one of the brightest talents in cycling over the last few years, however not everything has been a sea of roses for the Norwegian, who revealed in a recent interview to have considered retiring just months ago.

“Walking was fine, but it was painful to go down the stairs, for example. I went for a walk a few times and a little run, but it hurt," Johannessen told TV2. "If I continued to be in so much pain, I would not have been able to continue cycling. I have thought about stopping several times."

After ending his season the 23-year sustained a chronic knee injury that he had endured in the past. He abandoned both Tour de Pologne and the Arctic Race of Norway and ended his season back in August, and for several months has endured difficulties on daily activities, including getting on the bike.

This led to a lot of stress and consideration over retiring from cycling, despite his position. However, having been advised and undergone a surgery, the health complications seem to finally be behind the talented climber. “The knee is better than ever. I have trained a bit in recent weeks and that feels really good," he shared.

Although he was a leading figure with Uno-X already in 2021 where he won the Tour de l'Avenir and finished second in the under-23 Giro d'Italia and the Sazka Tour - with many wins on the way - 2022 was his neo-pro year and first season with the pros. “It has been a great season, but I have more to do. As a cyclist I want to win races and I have not done that often," he said. 

He took a win at the early season Etoile de Bessèges where he finished third, finished 7th at the Volta a Catalunya, fourth at the Tour of Norway where he won the points classification, and finished tenth at the Critérium du Dauphiné where he won the youth classification. His season was cut short due to the injury.

Gabriel Rasch, who's moving into Uno-X from INEOS Grenadiers compared Johannessen to Carlos Rodríguez, the two riders who have battled for the win in the 2021 Tour de l'Avenir, has talked about the Norwegian talent and how he fares against the Spanish champion who's ridden to seventh at the Vuelta a Espana.

“Tobias has absolutely insane potential. As a sports director at INEOS I managed Carlos Rodriguez, one of the greatest talents in the world, and Tobias has shown that he is better. Tobias has some special qualities that Carlos does not have," he concluded.