Célia Gery will end her 2026–27 cyclocross campaign after the European Championships in November to undergo surgery for an iliac artery problem that has caused pain in her leg since August. The 20-year-old French road and cyclocross champion confirmed the decision on Sunday, shortly after winning the second round of the Coupe de France in Nommay.
Gery intends to race twice more before stopping: the Koppenbergcross on 1 November and the European Championships in Zeddam, Netherlands, on 8 November. The operation is planned for this winter, but she has not been given a precise date, and there is no confirmed timetable for her racing return.
Gery wins at Nommay despite months of leg pain
Sunday’s victory made the announcement particularly striking. Gery had returned to cyclocross with Specialized TMRW, the new off-road project associated with her road team FDJ United-SUEZ, and was able to win on a demanding Nommay course despite continuing discomfort.
Speaking to DirectVelo after the race, she explained that the problem had been affecting her since August. She had managed the final weeks of her road season and wanted to start the winter in cyclocross, even though the repeated accelerations and high-intensity efforts would be difficult with the symptoms she was experiencing.
Gery said she had tried to manage the problem while enjoying the technical demands of cyclocross. She was particularly reluctant to miss an entire winter, having looked forward to competing in her new team’s colours after a successful year on the road.
“I didn’t want to miss an entire season of cyclocross,” she told DirectVelo, in comments translated from French. The decision to continue for two more races gives her an opportunity to compete in the French champion’s jersey before shifting her attention to treatment.
European Championships will be her final race before surgery
The Koppenbergcross is next on Gery’s programme on Sunday 1 November, a race she won in 2025. The European Championships at Zeddam follow a week later, after which she expects to bring her cyclocross season to an early close.
That schedule rules out most of the winter’s major series races, including the busy Christmas programme, and means she will not defend her French elite cyclocross title in January if the plan remains unchanged. It also interrupts her first season with Specialized TMRW almost as soon as it has begun.
Gery has said the symptoms vary from day to day, and she has yet to receive a definite surgical date. She hopes to resume racing in 2027, but neither the type of operation nor a detailed recovery timetable has been announced. Her immediate racing plans should therefore not be taken as evidence that the underlying issue has resolved.
What is an iliac artery problem in cycling?
The iliac arteries carry blood towards the legs, and problems with blood flow through them can become particularly noticeable during sustained, intense exercise. Some endurance cyclists develop iliac artery endofibrosis, a condition associated with thickening of the artery’s inner wall and exercise-related leg pain or a sudden loss of power.
It is a recognised issue in professional cycling, but the precise diagnosis and planned surgical technique in Gery’s case have not been publicly specified. Describing her condition as confirmed endofibrosis, or predicting how quickly she will recover, would go beyond what she has announced. ProCyclingUK has previously covered iliac artery problems among professional cyclists and the difficult decisions riders can face when symptoms interfere with racing.
Major road breakthrough makes winter interruption more frustrating
Gery’s announcement comes after a particularly successful road season. Racing for FDJ United-SUEZ, she won Brabantse Pijl, the GP Féminin de Chambéry, a stage of the Giro d’Italia Women and her first elite French road race title. She also rode her first Tour de France Femmes, where she supported Demi Vollering’s overall victory.
Those results followed her under-23 road world title in 2025 and confirmed that she could make an impact at WorldTour level as well as in cyclocross. At just 20, she had appeared well placed to carry that momentum into a winter in which she would wear the French national champion’s jersey.
Cyclocross remains an important part of her ambitions rather than an occasional alternative to the road. Her plans for the Koppenbergcross and European Championships reflect that commitment, even as she accepts that surgery will bring a premature end to this campaign.
For now, the two November starts are the last confirmed races on her calendar. Gery has said she hopes to return at full strength next year, although the timing will depend on the operation and her subsequent recovery.
