Chris Froome Hospitalized with Serious Injuries After Training Crash in France

Four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome suffered a serious training crash in southern France, resulting in a fractured lumbar vertebra, five broken ribs, and a collapsed lung. He was airlifted to a hospital in Toulon and is in stable condition, with no head injuries reported, and is scheduled to undergo surgery on his back injury. The accident occurred while Froome was training alone near Saint-Raphaël, with no other cyclists or vehicles involved. Froome, 40, who has also won the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España, has struggled to return to his previous form following a major crash in 2019 and has hinted that 2025 might be his final competitive season. His contract with Israel-Premier Tech, the team he joined in 2021, is ending this year, and this latest injury raises serious questions about his future in professional cycling. Fellow British cyclist Geraint Thomas has already announced his retirement at the end of the current season, underscoring a period of transition for British cycling.