British four-time Tour de France winning cyclist Chris Froome is in stable condition awaiting surgery after a training crash in southern France.
Froome was on a training ride on Wednesday when the accident occurred and was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Toulon on the French Riviera.
The 40-year-old is set to undergo an operation on his back injury on Thursday.
A statement on Froome’s official X profile read: “Chris was airlifted to hospital in Toulon yesterday 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 dominated the Tour de France with Team Sky prior to 2019
Froome won the Tour de France with Team Sky in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017, and also claimed grand tour titles at the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana. He has been racing with Israel Premier-Tech since 2021.
He broke his collarbone at the UAE Tour in February and has previously hinted that 2025 could be his final year of competitive racing.
In 2019, Froome was put in intensive care after hitting a wall at 35mph during practice before a stage at the Criterium du Dauphine.
He recovered after surgery but has since not been near the level that saw him win seven Grand Tours.