Chris Froome is undergoing surgery in France after a serious crash during training left him with a collapsed lung, broken ribs and a fractured spine.
The incident took place in Saint-Raphael, along the coast from Froome’s home in Monaco. Initial reports suggested he had collided with a car on the road, but his team Israel-Premier Tech made clear that no other vehicle was involved.
French newspaper L’Equipe reported that Froome was conscious on arrival at hospital in Toulon and able to speak to medical staff.
The injuries are likely to rule out the 40-year-old for the rest of the season and could even spell the end of his cycling career, with his contract due to expire at the end of the year.
Israel-Premier Tech said in a statement on Thursday: “Chris Froome was airlifted to hospital in Toulon yesterday afternoon following a serious training crash [no other cyclists or vehicles were involved].
“Fortunately, Chris is stable and did not sustain any head injuries, however, scans have confirmed a pneumothorax (collapsed lung), five broken ribs, and a lumbar vertebrae fracture, for which he will undergo surgery this afternoon. We will update on Chris’ condition following surgery.”
Froome is a four-time Tour de France champion and won seven grand tours in total with Ineos Grenadiers, previously known as Team Sky, in a period of dominance from 2011 to 2018. Only three riders in the history of men’s road cycling have won more of the sport’s iconic trio of stage races: French rider Jacques Anquetil won eight during the 1950s and 1960s; his compatriot Bernard Hinault won 10 between 1978 and 1985; and Belgian legend Eddy Merckx claimed 11 from 1968 to 1974.
But Froome has struggled since another crash in 2019 in which he hit a wall while travelling downhill at high speed during a reconnaissance ride at the Criterium du Dauphine, breaking his femur bone and sustaining fractures to his elbow, ribs and vertebrae. The incident caused him to miss eight months of racing and he did not return to the same level.
Froome was persuaded by Canadian-Israeli billionaire Sylvan Adams to join his new team in 2020, then known as Israel Start-Up Nation. They set an ambitious goal of delivering a fifth yellow jersey, recruiting a number of experienced support riders, but Froome has not made a significant mark on the general classification in any of his three grand tours with the team.
Team Sky’s legacy is currently under scrutiny after it emerged the International Testing Agency is investigating David Rozman, a team carer who worked closely with stars including Froome and Bradley Wiggins.
Rozman is alleged to have exchanged a series of messages with Mark Schmidt, a notorious German doctor who was convicted in 2021 of leading a sophisticated doping ring involving multiple cyclists and skiers.
