UPDATE: Chris Froome escapes serious head injuries but suffers "pneumothorax, five broken ribs, and a lumbar vertebrae fracture" in training crash
Cycling
Chris Froome, the four-time Tour de France champion, has been hospitalised following a serious training accident near Saint-Raphaël on France’s Côte d’Azur. The 40-year-old British rider, who has been based in Monaco in recent years, was struck by a vehicle on Wednesday and airlifted to Toulon hospital according to reports by L'Equipe.
The French-based outlet reports that Froome was conscious after the incident, but the full extent of his injuries has not yet been disclosed. L'Equipe reports also indicate he is unlikely to return to racing this season.
This latest accident comes six years after Froome’s life-changing crash at the 2019 Critérium du Dauphiné, when he suffered multiple fractures, including a broken femur, in a high-speed training accident. That incident forced him to miss the Tour de France that year and marked a turning point in his career trajectory.
Since joining Israel - Premier Tech in 2021, Froome has struggled to regain the form that made him one of the dominant figures of the Grand Tours in the early 2010s. He has not taken a victory since his 2018 Giro d’Italia triumph, and the injuries sustained during the 2019 crash, as well as a fractured clavicle earlier this year at the UAE Tour, have hampered his attempts to return to the top level.
Career over?
Two weeks ago, Froome gave an interview to Bici.pro, remaining cautious about the future of his racing career while expressing a desire to establish a cycling academy in Africa after retirement. His current situation underscores the risks professional cyclists face on the road, even for experienced riders, and the wider implications for his career remain uncertain.
While the immediate focus is on Froome’s health and safety, the broader implications for his career remain uncertain. The British rider is at the tail end of his contract with Israel–PremierTech and had already faced a challenging season. How this latest accident will influence his plans for retirement or a return to competition is a question only time will answer.
UPDATE
Israel - Premier Tech have now released a statement on Froome's condition following the crash. "Chris Froome was airlifted to hospital in Toulon yesterday afternoon following a serious training crash [no other cyclists or vehicles were involved]," the announcement begins.
"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."
Best wishes to Froome from all associated with CyclingUpToDate.com.
Please join us in wishing @chrisfroome well and a speedy recovery 🙏 pic.twitter.com/G8folPRDrT
— Israel – Premier Tech (@IsraelPremTech) August 28, 2025
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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