As Stevie Williams rode triumphantly into the small Suffolk town of Felixstowe, his overwhelming feeling was one of relief.

Having led the Tour of Britain from the second stage onwards, Williams had the difficult task of defending – and extending – his lead for the remainder of the week.

The man from Aberystwyth, though, was more than up to the task, winning Britain’s biggest road race for the first time in his career.

“This year, the race was laid out quite a lot differently to previous editions,” Williams explains.

“It was front-heavy for once, which suited me. Winning stage two and three put me in a great position.

“After that, we had to defend hard, and I have my team to thank for helping over the line in the end.”

Williams is effusive in his praise for his team. Having joined Israel-Premier Tech in 2023, Williams gone from strength to strength.

“Having a strong team is crucial,” Williams says.

“At the end of the day, you can be as good as you like as a leader, you can do your thing at the end of stages, but you need your team with you when you’re getting attacked left, right, and centre.

“To have five really strong guys in Simon [Clarke], Nick [Schultz], Ethan [Vernon], Jake [Stewart], and Joe [Blackmore] is a massive boost.

“To see how hard they worked for the team and for me that week was really nice.”

With such a dominant performance, one would think that Williams and the team would have spent the next couple of days celebrating. But, with the Autumn classics to prepare for, Williams and his team all had flights to catch almost immediately after.

“There wasn’t much time for celebrations, to be honest,” Williams laments.

“It was a bit of a strange feeling on the Sunday. Winning in cycling is very different to other sports.

“We have the presentation, but then media and doping control doesn’t let you go for a couple of hours.

“Speaking a couple of weeks later, though, I have such good feelings from the Tour of Britain. It doesn’t get much better than winning your home race.”

For Williams, Tour of Britain victory has capped a sensational year for the 28-year-old, following an extended period where he struggled through injury.

Williams made his breakthrough in 2018, when he won stage five of the Giro Ciclistico d’Italia or ‘Baby Giro’ but could not kick on following his early victory.

His pro career had to be put on hold for 18 months when he suffered a serious knee problem, undergoing surgery to remove the small fabella bone from his left knee in November 2019.

Williams, though, is confident that he has put those difficult years behind him now and has hit the peak of his powers in 2024.

“The past is the past,” Williams reflects.

“What’s happened with injuries and stuff obviously hasn’t been ideal. It was quite a difficult first few years of my career, but I’m in a completely different place now.

“I feel like I’m back to my best, in the elite category now. Winning some of the biggest races has just confirmed that in my mind.”

Williams started the year in the best way possible: victory in January at the Tour Down Under.

Coming from behind to win the final stage and take the general classification, that particular victory was a sweet one for the 28-year-old.

“These one-week races that come down to seconds are pretty much bread and butter for me,” Williams says.

“Winning it in the way I did, climbing Mount Lofty in the leader’s jersey, was a really nice moment.

“To win in Australia, the first world race of the season, was amazing. I won’t forget that one for a while.”

Another strong performance, this time at the Volta a Catalunya in March, proved that Williams was one to watch for the year, with the Classics season approaching and the Tour de France.

His next victory, though, did not come in a week-long race, but a one-day: La Flèche Wallonne.

The first British cyclist to win La Flèche, Williams battled the elements on an elongated course.

Having broken away on the penultimate ascent of the Mur de Huy, it was the final metres where he made his legs tell.

Williams exploded from a reduced peloton with 300 metres to go, leaving former Giro d’Italia winner Richard Carapaz amongst others in his wake, for what was arguably the biggest win of his career.

“The Ardennes Classics are the holy grail for me and the sort of rider I am,” Williams says.

“I knew I was in good shape heading into the Ardennes. To be honest, I knew I could have a day when it became a bit of a mess and a true classic.

“It was a whitling down process and as soon as I went over the Mur de Huy the first time, I knew I had the legs, from about 100k out.

“To win La Flèche in those conditions, it doesn’t get much better. No bike race is easy to win and that one was a real tough one. To get my hands up at the end was very special.”

Following a second victory of 2024, Williams was selected to be part of Israel-Premier Tech’s team for his first Tour de France.

A second-place finish on stage three of the Tour de Suisse proved to be good preparation, as Williams acquitted himself well for a debutant, even earning a new contract during the Tour.

“It was a pleasure to race at the Tour,” Williams says.

“It’s very different to every other race you’ll do, so to get the experience of doing it was great.

“Suffering heat stroke on the first weekend wasn’t ideal, and the climbs were just a little long for me at this point in my career. Coming back next year, I’ll be stage hunting.

“I feel like being with Israel Premier-Tech is one of the main reasons why I’ve stepped up so much, physically and performance-wise.

“We’ve proved this year that we’re able to compete at the highest level against the best riders in the world when we come together. It’s exciting.”

Williams did not have much time to reflect on a first Tour de France, as he was plunged straight into preparation for the Olympic Road Race.

While finishing in 31st place was not in his plan, Williams is proud to say that he competed at an Olympics.

“To finish a three-week race like the Tour de France and then a weekend and a half later, try and wrap your head around going to Paris for the Olympics was so tough,” Williams admits.

“The Olympics was a great moment for me and my family. To get both that and the Tour ticked off in one summer was an amazing feeling.”

Despite his many successes, the cycling season is not quite over yet for Williams.

At the start of October, he and the Great British team will be in Zurich for the World Championships, before he hops over the Alps for the Trittico di Autunno: Giro del Piemonte, Giro di Lombardia, and Milano-Torino.

With another exciting year to look forward to, Williams has one goal on his mind for 2025: win a stage at the Tour de France.

“It’s the biggest bike race in the world,” Williams says with a smile.

“It doesn’t get much bigger or better than that.”

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