Stephen Williams forced to miss Tour de France and home race due to lingering injury: “This season is unbelievably frustrating”
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Follow us on GoogleFormer Flèche Wallonne winner Stephen Williams will not start this year’s Tour de France. The Welsh rider has been struggling with a knee injury that has plagued him all season. He will also miss the national championships, a further blow to his campaign.
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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."
Read more below!
In 2024, Stephen Williams won the Flèche Wallonne.
Williams forced to scratch the Tour de France and British championships
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.
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Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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Latest Comments
- I’m still learning the calendar: is cyclocross mainly preparation for the spring classics, or does he race it as a separate goal as well? I’d love to see him back in the mud.jeremya04-11-2026
- The article makes it sound as if Roubaix is the only classic where he has a realistic shot. He’s been close in Flanders too, and one good tactical day can change everything.jennifer1904-11-2026
- Milan-Sanremo and Roubaix is a pretty special pair of Monuments. Any clues yet on which cyclocross races he’ll target?andrewf04-11-2026
- He’s right to be realistic about Flanders with Pogačar and Evenepoel around, but you can’t count Van Aert out on those roads. If he gets the right opportunity, he has the engine and experience to take it.davidm04-11-2026
- That Roubaix win felt like such a release after all the near-misses. Brilliant to hear that joy outweighed relief for Wout.patriciaw04-11-2026
- Why would a mountain time trial be different from a normal one? Is it just that the riders have to climb the whole course?samanthak03-11-2026
- I don’t quite buy the “fear of failure” argument. Riders can race the Giro and still have confidence in July; it comes down to recovery and planning, doesn’t it?patriciaw03-11-2026
- The Giro-Tour double is a massive ask, even for the very best. Pogačar made it look almost routine in 2024, but that’s hardly a sensible benchmark for everyone else!pedalpowe2903-11-2026
- Bakelants makes a fair point: if the 2027 Tour really suits Remco, he can’t afford to dilute the build-up. That 37km flat TT will be tempting, mind.julien03-11-2026
- Mont Blanc sounds like a spectacular finish, though four climbs on the final day might be a bit much after eight hard stages. Hope the route details are clear soon.raceready703-11-2026