Amsterdam firm helps Williams through long injury comeback: 'I can't thank them enough'

Stephen Williams has been absent from the peloton for some time. The Welsh rider has been battling quadriceps tendinitis — an inflammation of the tendon connecting the large thigh muscle to the kneecap — and faces a lengthy rehabilitation process. A week ago, his team NSN gave an update on his condition. Now, Williams himself has taken to Instagram to share where things stand.

Looking back at his recent results, you have to go a long way to find a top-20 finish. His last came in 2024 — the year he also won the Flèche Wallonne. In 2025, the NSN rider barely raced at all, and was forced to abandon Eschborn-Frankfurt before his season was over before it had truly begun.

That abandonment turned out to be the result of quadriceps tendinitis — an injury that demands patience above all else. Williams has been out of action for nearly a year, but there are signs that the end of the tunnel is finally in sight. "It's been a tough process, but step by step things are improving," he wrote. "The best part is that I'm finally back on the bike." He added that, if progress continues, he hopes to return to racing as soon as possible.

For much of his recovery, Williams has been based in the Netherlands — specifically at SEG Performance in Amsterdam, a company with deep roots in professional cycling. Between 2015 and 2021, SEG ran their own development team focused on nurturing young talent. The SEG Racing Academy launched the careers of riders including Fabio Jakobsen, Jordi Meeus, Edoardo Affini, Thymen Arensman and Daan Hoole — and Williams himself spent time there before turning professional.

SEG wound down their team in 2021. With the growth of development squads run by WorldTour outfits, the gap they had filled in 2015 had largely closed. Since then, the company has redirected its focus towards other areas of the sport — including rider rehabilitation. That work has made a real difference to Williams. "I can't thank the SEG performance team enough for all their support throughout this process," he wrote on the SEG website. "I have full confidence that we're doing the right things to get me back on the bike as soon as possible."