Chris Froome suffers multiple broken bones and undergoes surgery after serious crash

British cycling star Chris Froome is in hospital after being involved in a serious crash.

Froome, 40, was out riding in Toulon, southern France, on Wednesday when he fell off his bike. The four-time Tour de France winner was airlifted to hospital and will now undergo surgery after breaking several bones.

A statement posted on Froome's social media accounts read: "Chris 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, five broken ribs, and a lumbar vertebrae fracture, for which he will undergo surgery this afternoon. We will update on Chris' condition following surgery."

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Froome, who was out riding near his home in Monaco, was reportedly conscious and remained speaking after the crash, according to L'Equipe.

He is now expected to miss the remainder of the cycling season for his team Israel-Premier Tech. The accident could place his future in the sport in doubt, given his contract with the team is set to expire at the end of the year.

The Brit last competed in the Tour de Pologne earlier this month, where he finished 68th overall.

Speaking back in February, he said he was considering retirement from professional cycling at the end of the year. “I haven’t 100 per cent decided that I’ll be retiring at the end of this year,” Froome told the Never Strays Far podcast.

“Chances are, yes, I’ll be calling it a day, but I’m just keeping the door open. [I’ll] see how this year goes, see how I’m feeling towards the end of it.”

But earlier this month he said: “It’s not easy for me — the age difference is something I definitely feel — but so far I’ve enjoyed racing alongside the younger guys. And for now, I’ll keep going.”

Froome is one of Britain's most successful cyclists of all time, having won the prestigious Tour de France in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017. He has won seven Grand Tours altogether, having also triumphed in the Giro d'Italia and twice in the Vuelta a Espana.

Froome also has two Olympic bronze medals from the road time trials in 2012 and 2016. His last win in any race came in 2018 and he hasn’t finished in the top 10 of any World Tour race since 2020, the year before he joined Israel-Premier Tech.