One year is not like the other. Stephen Williams completely broke through in 2024 with wins at the Tour Down Under, Tour of Britain, and La Flèche Wallonne, but experienced a terrible 2025 in which he only had fifteen race days due to a tendon inflammation above his knee. "We're now nine months on and I’m still fighting hard," he openly told CyclingWeekly.
Williams explains how the injury flared up after the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. "Everything was still normal then. But a few days later when I woke up, I had a sharp pain above my kneecap. It’s one of those injuries that only improve in very small steps."
The Brit was also sidelined for a long time in 2019 and 2020 because of a tendon injury. "Back then I thought I’d never have to go through such a tough period again, but I can say this injury is twice as hard." They say in cycling the lows are worse than the highs, and I can tell you that’s really true. The lows are truly much worse than the highs. Winning is great, but when you’re injured it has a devastating impact on you."
"Frustration is the word that fits this situation. Every injury is tough for an athlete, but the hardest are those involving soft tissues, ligaments, and tendons – and it has happened to me twice. Those injuries are so difficult to manage, even in the medical world they still don’t fully know how to handle them," he said.
Despite all the setbacks, Williams still has plenty of motivation to fight his way back a second time. "I’m working really hard on it. I just hope everything falls into place soon. When I had my first knee injury six years ago, I thought my career was over. But it wasn’t. The body is capable of a lot."
