Chris Froome is ‘lucky to be alive’ following a crash that saw him hit a road sign and tear his heart while training.

The four-time Tour de France champion was transported by air to a hospital in France on Thursday following an accident in which he clipped a curb and collided with a road sign at 30 mph. This led to a collapsed lung, a spinal fracture, and five broken ribs.

Froome, 40, was flown to hospital in Toulon and underwent surgery on the same day, with his cycling career on the line.

The statement from Froome’s team last week stated: ‘Chris was flown to Toulon hospital yesterday afternoon due to a serious training accident, which involved no other vehicles or cyclists.

‘Thankfully, his condition is stable, and he did not suffer any head injuries. However, scans have shown a pneumothorax, five fractured ribs, and a lumbar vertebrae fracture, for which he will have surgery this afternoon.’

While early scans indicated the severity of the injuries received by Froome, his wife of almost 11 years, Michelle, disclosed that he also experienced a serious impact on his heart, only detected during the surgery.

Chris Froome is ‘lucky to be alive’ after being involved in a training crash last week, his wife Michelle has revealed 

Froome, 40, flew into a road sign at 30mph after a crash in France last Thursday

Speaking to ITV, Michelle expressed that he was fortunate to be alive. She further explained to The Times that doctors discovered Froome had endured a pericardial rupture, where the heart’s surrounding sac tears—an injury often resulting from blunt trauma incidents like road accidents.

Michelle, who shares two children with Froome—Kellan, 9, and Katie, 7—also expressed gratitude to the staff at the Sainte Anne Toulon military hospital, a top-level trauma center specialising in thoracic surgery in the region.

She added: ‘It was obviously a lot more serious than some broken bones. He’s fine but it’s going to be a long recovery process. He won’t be riding a bike for a while. Chris is happy for you to share this because people need to understand what is going on.’

Froome, who lives in Monaco, was riding near Saint-Raphael, in the south of France, when he fell, according to a report by French outlet L’Equipe. 

Froome was conscious and communicating with people around him while being airlifted. He did not hit his head in the accident but is now expected to miss the remainder of the cycling season.

Following surgery, a statement from his team read on Friday: ‘We can confirm that Chris has successfully undergone surgery following his recent injuries. 

‘The procedures went as planned, and Chris is currently recovering in hospital under the care of his medical team. 

‘He is in good spirits and grateful for the excellent medical support he has received.  Chris and his family would like to thank fans, friends and cycling community for their concern and kind messages during this time.’

A statement a day after the crash read that Froome was ‘in good spirits’ as he and Michelle thanked medical staff

The Briton’s contract at the Israel-Premier Tech team runs out at the end of the year, and the crash follows on from a broken collarbone that he sustained at the UAE tour in February.

With no plans to sign a new deal on the horizon, Froome’s 18-year professional riding career has been cast into doubt.

Earlier this month, he was asked by bici.PRO what the future holds in terms of his career. His response was coy: ‘My contract is expiring and I don’t know if I’ll continue or not,’ Froome told the website.

He then revealed that he has plans to grow the sport of cycling in Africa, his home continent, having been born in Kenya in 1985.

Froome secured his first Tour de France title in 2013 before securing three of the following four titles. He hasn’t won a major tour since 2018, when he raced for Team Sky, triumphing at Giro d’Italia for the first and only time. 

The British rider has seemingly never recovered from breaking his femur in a high-speed crash in the midst of the 2019 Tour de France.

Following the crash, which kept him out for eight months, he became part of the Israel-Premier Tech team.

The two-time Olympic medallist felt that he had been handed a ‘second chance’ to return to the ‘sport I love’.