Four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome has been seriously injured in a training accident in southern France, suffering a collapsed lung, five broken ribs and a fractured vertebrae.
The 40-year-old Briton crashed near Saint-Raphael on Wednesday. No other vehicles or cyclists were involved, according to his Israel-PremierTech team. He was airlifted to a hospital in Toulon, where he is undergoing surgery.
“Chris was airlifted to hospital in Toulon yesterday afternoon following a serious training crash,” his team confirmed in a statement. “Fortunately, his condition is stable and he 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.”
Froome was reportedly conscious and communicating with medical staff while being transported by helicopter.
The injuries will rule him out of the remainder of the season. His professional future is now uncertain, as his contract with Israel-PremierTech expires at the end of 2025.
Froome’s crash follows a broken collarbone sustained earlier this year at the UAE Tour. Speaking this month to Italian cycling site bici.PRO, he admitted he was undecided about his future, saying: “My contract is expiring and I don’t know if I’ll continue or not.”
The Kenyan-born rider has previously expressed ambitions to establish a cycling academy in Africa, to give young athletes the opportunity to enter the sport. “When I stop, I want to open a cycling school in Africa,” Froome said earlier this year. “There are talents who are suited to cycling, but they haven’t had the opportunity to race before.”
Froome has enjoyed one of cycling’s most successful careers, winning four Tour de France titles between 2013 and 2017. However, his recent years have been blighted by injury setbacks, and Wednesday’s accident raises fresh questions over whether he will compete professionally again.