Chris Froome, the four-time Tour de France winner, has been airlifted to hospital in Toulon after a serious training crash in France. The 40-year-old suffered a collapsed lung, five broken ribs, and a fractured lumbar vertebra. His team, Israel-Premier Tech, confirmed that he is stable and will undergo surgery on Thursday.
The incident occurred on Wednesday, with no other cyclists or vehicles involved. In a statement on Froome's X account, the team said: '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.'
This is the second serious training crash of Froome's career. In 2019, he was left in intensive care after a freak accident during a reconnaissance ride at the Critérium du Dauphiné. On that occasion, he fractured his right femur, hip, elbow, and ribs after crashing into a wall at 37mph.
Froome, who is out of contract at the end of the year, is expected to miss the remainder of the season due to his injuries. 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.
