Stephen Williams forced to miss Tour de France and home race due to lingering injury: “This season is unbelievably frustrating”

Williams had a breakthrough year in 2024, kicking things off with a win at the Tour Down Under in January and later claiming a major classic with victory at the Flèche Wallonne. He followed that up with two stage wins and the overall title at the Tour of Britain, closing out a standout season. But 2025 has been the complete opposite so far.

He started this season again in Australia, but couldn’t replicate last year’s success. A crash in stage 3 of the Tour Down Under cost him crucial time in the general classification. Two months later, he resumed racing in Italy at the Giro d’Abruzzo, where he failed to make an impact. Williams, now 29, attempted to salvage his spring in the major classics, Flèche Wallonne, Liège–Bastogne–Liège, and Eschborn–Frankfurt, but didn’t finish any of them.

Stephen Williams has broken his silence on Instagram. “2025 hasn’t gone to plan,” he writes. “so I want to share a bit of an update about why I haven’t been racing. 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."

The impact of his injury is significant. “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."

The British Championships are taking place in Williams’ hometown, which makes it even more unfortunate that he can’t be there as a rider. “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 had previously struggled with a persistent injury to his left knee, which repeatedly caused issues after he turned professional in 2019 with the team then known as Bahrain-Merida. After leaving his old team, he joined Israel-Premier Tech for the 2023 season.