When Leopold Konig suffered an innocuous crash at the Volta a la Comunitat Valencia back in February he had no idea it would keep him off his bike for three months.

He remembers falling onto his knee but he was able to race on with no pain and help team-mate Wout Poels secure the overall title, while finishing an impressive 10th himself.

But as soon as he got home his knee flared up and Konig had to take a break from the bike, only resuming riding again at the start of May.

He picks up the story in an interview with TeamSky.com: "I had finished the race without any pain, but then I started to feel it exactly where I'd hit the bone. Maybe the reason was the fall - perhaps there was some inflammation or something like that.

"I wasn't sure how long I'd be off the bike, but it's taken more time to recover than we expected. It's been a really long time and it's been quite tough to be honest, especially mentally. Sometimes it was quite frustrating."

Finally though, Konig has put the problem behind him, and he's raring to go at the Tour de Suisse: "In the end, with some great help from the team, we've been able to manage it well. It's been a really long time and I can't wait to get back racing.

"I feel like I'm starting a new season now… midway through the season! I'm super motivated and I want to repay the teams' patience. The whole team, Dave [Brailsford], the doctors, Tim [Kerrison], they've all been so great with me and I want to repay that faith and their trust."

The 28 year old produced one of the finest performances of his career to finish sixth at the Giro d'Italia last year and, had he been fit, he would almost certainly have returned this year to support Mikel Landa.

Injury deprived him of that opportunity though, but the Czech star, despite initial trepidation, enjoyed watching the race at home.

"At first I was a little worried - would I miss it? But it was nice to watch it actually. It was a good way of staying in touch with the guys and it was great to keep up with the action.

"Yes, when Mikel [Landa] had to withdraw I asked myself could I have been there, ready to step up, like I did last year when Richie [Porte] withdrew? But that's life; that's cycling."

The Tour de Suisse holds happy memories for Konig , as it was one of his first major races as a professional.

"It was one of my first big races back in 2011," he remembers. "It was like a start point in my career, although I was pretty bad actually! (laughs) But I improved every race after that, finishing the season with ninth at the Tour of Britain, so it gave me a good base for my campaign. I'm hoping for the same this year."

Although Konig is excited to get back in the mix he's yet to set himself any new goals for the season, and he's just looking to support team leader Geraint Thomas in Switzerland - a man he's been very impressed by over the past 12 months.

"I just want to do my best and enjoy every single stage and race. I don't really know what goals I can set myself. I have a few things in my mind, but hopefully I can help G have a really good Tour de Suisse, then it's the national championships, hopefully the Tour of Poland and the Olympics, then it's the Vuelta a Espana - so there's a lot ahead.

"The way G won Paris-Nice in March was super impressive. Last year you could see he was a potential GC rider, especially considering the way he rode at the Tour de France. He came second at the Tour de Suisse last year so there is one spot for improvement!"

Konig has been back riding for a month now, initially getting used to being back in the saddle, before upping the ante in Nice over the past week.

"I was just getting used to my position on the bike again for the first two weeks back in May, then I did some more intense and hard training. Over the last week I've been preparing for the Tour de Suisse in Nice in the mountains, which has been great.

"I'm really, really hungry. I hope that's going to be my advantage for the rest of the season: my hunger for every result and every stage."