Chris Froome has been airlifted to hospital after suffering a collapsed lung and breaking his back and five ribs during a serious crash while training in France.
The four-time Tour de France winner’s team confirmed that Froome would undergo surgery in Toulon on Thursday after the incident which took place on Wednesday. It said that the 40-year-old was now stable, and that no one else had been involved in the crash.
“Chris was airlifted to hospital in Toulon yesterday afternoon following a serious training crash,” a statement posted on Froome’s X account said. “No other cyclists or vehicles were involved.
“Fortunately, Chris is stable and did not sustain any head injuries, however, scans have confirmed a pneumothorax, five broken ribs, and a lumbar vertebrae fracture, for which he will undergo surgery this afternoon.
“We will update on Chris’ condition following surgery.”
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It is the second serious training crash in Froome’s career, during which he has won the Tour de France in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017 as well as the Vuelta a España in 2011 and 2017 and the Giro d’Italia in 2018.
In 2019, Froome was left in intensive care after a freak accident while travelling at 37mph during a reconnaissance ride at the Critérium du Dauphiné.
The incident occurred when Froome took his hand off his handlebars to blow his nose before a gust of wind destabilised his bike. He then crashed into a wall and lost consciousness.
After being airlifted to hospital, Froome was discovered to have fractured his right femur and suffered a broken hip, as well as a fractured elbow and fractured ribs, and later admitted he was “lucky to be alive”.
The Israel-Premier Tech rider, who is out of contract at the end of the year, is expected to miss the remainder of the season with his injuries.
