"My chest cavity was filling with blood, I couldn’t breathe" - Former Tour de France winner Chris Froome opens up about career-ending crash
CyclingThursday, 16 July 2026 at 12:12
Chis Froome suffered a career-changing crash in 2019, which divided his career. The British rider, former four-time winner of the Tour de France, revealed in a recent interview that the last fall he suffered last summer - which ended his career - was worst and had him fighting for his life in the hospital.
Froome reveals gruesome details of his last crash
The the-Israel - Premier Tech rider suffered a crash in August in the Côte d'Azur when training close to home and needed to be airlifted to the Toulon hospital. The initial information was of serious injuries that required immediate attention, although he was conscious and there was no vehicle involved in the incident.
The details, Froome reveals, were brutal on his body. “All my ribs on the right side were broken, in my back my vertebrae too. My ribcage imploded on impact and my right lung was really badly affected," he said in an interview with L'Équipe.
"One of the ribs also punctured the pericardium, the sac that protects and holds the heart, so my heart was really open and exposed, which can be very dangerous. My chest cavity was filling with blood, I couldn’t breathe.”
Froome's season ended as a result and, as he didn't have a contract for 2026, his career was too as a result. But throughout these months, where many wondered in his future and if he would remain in the peloton, the 41-year old was tackling his severe health problems.
“It wasn’t just the initial fall, but all the consequences in the months that followed. I’ve never had anything so serious. My life was in danger there. I’m lucky to be alive".
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Several months in-and-out of the hospital and an untimely retirement
Froome had his retirement planned for the end of the 2025 season, but didn't have the opportunity to have a goodbye race as a result, and went silent into the winter. "When I signed my last contract, I knew it would be my last," he says of his Israel - Premier Tech deal.
"I was hoping to be able to race one last race and say goodbye that way, as is usually done. But the accident in August sidelined me. I was in and out of the hospital until mid-January. And even when I came home, after five months of operations and hospital stays, it took me until April or May to really get back on my feet and stop taking medication".
Effectively, return to normal life is only a recent event for Froome, who had his second several set of injuries in six years. In 2019, he crashed during a recon of a time trial at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, which also caused severe injuries and saw him lose the level that had him dominate the Grand Tours in the 2010's.
"Talking to the media, making a big announcement, or throwing a big party was really out of the question. But it wasn't that I wanted to maintain the suspense or anything. I was focused on my recovery, spending time with my family," he said.
This summer, he has returned to the Tour, having partnered with race sponsor Skoda. "I had agreed to come to the Tour with Skoda, and I didn't even make an announcement. Someone asked me about my retirement; I thought it was clear, but I realized I hadn't really talked about it."
Froome at the 2026 Tour de France
Froome enjoys a second lease on life
Froome has dropped his focus in professional cycling as an athlete and is enjoying his life on the other side, combining his ambassador duties with the ability to spend more time at home with his family.
"When something like that happens, when they explain the seriousness of it, that it could have gone either way, it's a truly humbling moment," he admits.
"It put my life into perspective; what was happening in the cycling world wasn't even a concern anymore. It was a huge shock for my family. It was a difficult time, but I'm incredibly happy now".
Healthy and an active person once again, Froome is at the Tour and has been open with the media regarding several topics. "I feel like I've been given a new lease on life. And it's also a sign that I need to slow down now and enjoy it. I've spent the last two decades making sacrifices, suffering".
"It was my dream, but at the same time, I'm now at a point in my life where I can live, be more present with my family. When I'm home, I'm not just training and recovering; I can take the kids hiking or camping. My priority now is to be more present as a husband and father," he concluded.
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- Really sad that after what 6 years he is now trying to milk the injury for money. He scammed Israel Prem Tech for millions where he could not even win a UK 4rh cat race. Find it sad that such a great rider reduced to this.paultryan200216-07-2026
- Its known as courtesy not rules, tradition not laws.abstractengineer16-07-2026
- nobody dispute the accident even though it was largely due to him even after Poels had warned him. The problem is sticking to the false narrative that he was capable of winning the tdf for 5 years, the numbers were close etc even when he was getting dropped midway in races , trying to mislead everybodyabstractengineer16-07-2026
- He got lucky with Vuelta, TDF is a blood bath, even Jonas lost 2:30 in a stageabstractengineer16-07-2026
- The unwritten rule is probably to go for the win or not, not in between like UAE did. They pulled hard, keeping it in range, in order to sprint with Torito. Then they switched to the energy saving mode and got Ineos and Lidl-Trek to pull. What that effectively means is that they are helping the peloton against the breakaway without wanting to go for the win themselves, which is unsportsmanly. One theory is that Pogačar would have wanted to follow van der Poel, his eternal rival, but realised it wasn't worth it as he'd drag all the GC riders with him and spend his teammates. So he wanted to let van der Poel know that he could have been present in the fight for the win.
Rafionain-Glas16-07-2026 - There certainly are unwritten rules that should and are respected. However going for the win when when it's a fair fight ain't one of them..IMO. Hope Pog gets the win record, he already gifted one to a his team mate.Santiago16-07-2026
- 😀Hills3316-07-2026
- “There are also unwritten rules that should be respected” - it is a total BS. There is only one rule in cycling - whoever crosses the finish line first -> wins. (or who has lower cumulative time, most points - depending on type of race/tour)averagecyclist16-07-2026
- Chapeau to Wærenskjold. He’s not a big name but has quietly said he turned down the chance to ride for UAE as he didn’t want to promote the Emirates; similarly he declined to take part in the Al Ula Tour.”
Andrew16-07-2026 - Your proctologist called, he found your head.Andrew16-07-2026
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