Konovalovas had a nightmare year: "I just wanted to be able to walk, hold my children, and have a normal life"

For years, the reliable Lithuanian was a dependable part of Arnaud Démare’s sprint train. He had previously supported leaders while riding for teams like Movistar, Cervélo Test Team and MTN-Qhubeka. Over the course of his career, he claimed twelve victories, including eight national titles. His crowning moment came in 2009, winning the final time trial of the Giro d’Italia in Rome, beating Bradley Wiggins by just one second. 2024 was supposed to be his grand finale, capping off a 17-year career. But a severe back injury turned it into a nightmare.

In January, just as he was about to kick off the season at the Tour Down Under in Australia, the pain began. "Once I got there, it was superb! It was warm, we enjoyed the sun, we ate ice cream while it was winter in Europe ," he recalled on the team’s website. "However, after our first ride, I noticed that something was wrong with my back. I had two lumbar hernias during my career, so I knew what to do. I did exercises, stretching, it relieved me, so I went for another ride the next day, but after two and a half hours, I realized that I could no longer pedal. From the second day, all my plans fell apart."

After seeing several doctors, the experienced Lithuanian returned to Europe. "I couldn’t even leave the hotel because I was in so much pain. I couldn’t stand for very long. I tried to walk to keep myself in movement, hoping that it would help, but I couldn’t stay on my feet for more than 15-20 minutes." And there was no recovery in sight. "Sometimes I didn’t have enough strength in my legs because of how intense the pain was. Even lying down, I was in pain, and it was like that 24 hours a day. It was very, very hard, even though the injection was supposed to relieve me. It was the hardest time of my career, but at that point, I wasn’t even thinking about my career. I was just thinking about being able to walk, being able to hold my children, having a normal life."

After spending several weeks mostly confined to his bed, both in Spain and Lithuania, Konovalovas slowly began to ride again. "One week, I felt good, then the 3-4 following days I couldn’t get on the bike. I would sometimes leave the house thinking I was going for a three-hour ride, but I would turn around after fifteen minutes because I could feel that it was not doable."

By early June, Konovalovas and his team decided not to pursue surgery for the few races he might have ridden in October. "I knew that I wasn’t going to race as a pro anymore. On the one hand, I felt kind of relieved. On the other hand, I was still a little sad. I only have one regret in my career: to not have been able to finish this last season, especially with this team. Groupama-FDJ gave me a lot, we gave each other a lot. It will forever remain in my heart and mind as my cycling family. I would have loved to have been able to go out through the front door."