Chris Froome has been ruled out of the 2019 Tour de France after suffering a suspected broken femur bone in a crash at the Criterium du Dauphine in France.
The British rider lost control on a fast descent travelling at around 65kph and hit a wall during a reconnaissance ride. He was treated by an ambulance and air-lifted to hospital.
Team Ineos manager Sir Dave Brailsford confirmed Froome would not ride in the Tour, which begins on 6 July.
So how long is Froome expected to be out for?
If it is confirmed that he has broken his femur bone, Froome is likely to miss the rest of the season. As ProCyclingStats reports: “All riders in our injury database who had a fractured femur (we registered 19 since 2014) after May 15th didn’t come back anymore in same season.”
If that is the case it means Froome, 34, is likely to find that even his plans for next season are impinged by his recuperation. Full recovery can take between three and 10 months, depending on the extent of the injury and the body doing the healing.
The Briton is desperate to add a fifth Tour de France to his resume before he retires from the sport but that will now have to wait for at least another year.
