An invisible illness thwarted the year of Giro-revelation Steinhauser: 'It was bordering on depression'

For Georg Steinhauser, 2024 was a spectacular breakthrough year. The German rider from EF Education–EasyPost won a stage at the Giro d’Italia, firmly putting his name on the map. Naturally, the climber hoped to continue that upward trajectory in 2025 - but things went very differently. Results failed to follow, everything started to unravel, and in the end it turned out that illness had been holding him back. Now, Steinhauser is focused on revenge in the new season.

Steinhauser’s 2024 Giro was hugely impressive. He finished third twice and struck gold in the brutal 17th stage, where he was the only escapee able to stay ahead of Tadej Pogacar. After a strong autumn with several podium finishes in Italy, the young German looked like one of the riders to watch heading into the new year. But the results in 2025 proved far harder to come by - and that took a heavy toll.

“For three days I stayed at home in my apartment and didn’t speak to anyone,” Steinhauser told Kicker, reflecting on his darkest period. “I didn’t open a single window, it felt like that. Then I realised it couldn’t go on like this. I was struggling mentally, I was really at the end of my rope. In fact, it was bordering on depression. That was my conclusion.”

What he did not yet know at the time was that his declining performances had a physical cause: Steinhauser had contracted Lyme disease. “I lost all interest in cycling; it wasn’t fun anymore because there were so many setbacks,” he explains. The hardest part was not knowing what was wrong. “I would never have expected to feel such a low mood,” he adds.

In the first months of the year, Steinhauser suspected little, but during the summer things deteriorated quickly. “Two hours of training felt like four. I simply lacked power in training; I had no energy. I even stopped one session early and took the train home. The whole situation was mentally very tough for me.” He also lost a significant amount of weight, far more than normal. “At my worst I weighed 67 kilograms. I felt like there was absolutely nothing I could do about it.”

Meanwhile, both Steinhauser and his team were searching for answers. “No one knew exactly what was wrong. I had everything checked: blood tests, stool tests. But nothing showed up.” Only after a specific test for Lyme disease did clarity finally arrive. “That’s how we found out. Of course, it was good that we finally had a reason.”

Steinhauser is now feeling much better and was able to attend his team’s training camp in November. That allows him to focus fully on a stronger 2026. “At the moment, I feel good, mentally as well,” he says. Will we see the German back at the Giro next year, or perhaps even at the Tour de France? Time will tell.