Welshman Stevie Williams will miss the Tour de France and upcoming British National Road Championships due to a knee injury, he announced on Monday.
The 29-year-old from Aberystwyth began his season in Australia at the Tour Down Under, only racing again in April at the Giro d’Abruzzo and Ardennes Classics. He did not finish his three most recent races, La Flèche Wallonne, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Eschborn-Frankfurt. The British Nationals are due to take place in his hometown at the end of June.
In an Instagram post, Williams revealed the reasons behind his limited start to the season, explaining that the 2025 has not yet gone how he had hoped.
"Since the start of my season in Australia, I've had an issue with my right knee, a quadriceps tendonopothy, which is very tricky to manage, and it hasn't resolved," he wrote. "I was able to come back for Giro d'Abruzzo and the Ardennes but since then, things still aren’t completely right.
"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. 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."
He continued: "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. A big thanks to everyone in the team, and the support of great people externally. I hope to be back soon."
Williams previously suffered with a persistent injury in his left knee, which caused him repeated trouble after turning professional with the team then known as Bahrain-Merida in 2019.
After leaving his former team, he then joined Israel-Premier Tech for the 2023 season and enjoyed a stellar 2024 campaign in which he won the Tour Down Under, La Flèche Wallonne and the Tour of Britain Men. He has also previously won the Arctic Race of Norway.
