Chris Froome: Kenyan born Tour De France winner suffers career threatening injury after accident

Kenyan-born Chris Froome, the four-time Tour de France winner, has been hospitalised after a serious training crash in France that left him with multiple injuries and facing surgery.

According to CNN, Froome was airlifted to hospital on Wednesday and is currently in stable condition.

His team, Israel-Premier Tech, confirmed, "Fortunately, Chris is stable and did not sustain any head injuries, however, scans have confirmed a pneumothorax (collapsed lung), five broken ribs, and a lumbar vertebrae fracture, for which he will undergo surgery this afternoon. We will update on Chris' condition following surgery."

The 40-year-old was scheduled to undergo surgery on Thursday afternoon in Toulon.

Froome's accident happened in Saint-Raphael, along the Mediterranean coast near Froome's Monaco base. While initial reports suggested a collision with a car, Israel-Premier Tech clarified "no other cyclists or vehicles were involved."

Independent reported that French newspaper L'Equipe noted that Froome was conscious when he arrived at hospital and able to speak with medical staff.

The injuries are expected to rule him out for the remainder of the season, and with his contract expiring at the end of the year, speculation is mounting that this could spell the end of Froome's illustrious career.

Froome is no stranger to severe crashes. In 2019, he suffered a devastating accident during a reconnaissance ride at the Criterium du Dauphine, colliding with a wall at high speed.

He fractured his femur, elbow, ribs, and vertebrae, forcing him to miss the Tour de France that year. Though he returned to racing, he has never fully recaptured the dominant form of his peak.

At his height, Froome was the defining figure of men's road cycling in the 2010s. He claimed his first Tour de France in 2013 before sweeping three consecutive titles in 2015, 2016, and 2017.

In total, he has seven grand tour victories: four Tours, two Vueltas, and one Giro. According to Independent, only Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault, and Eddy Merckx have won more across cycling's iconic trio of stage races.

Froome joined Israel-Premier Tech in 2020, recruited by team owner Sylvan Adams with hopes of adding a fifth yellow jersey. While that dream never materialised, Froome remains one of cycling's great champions.