Chris Froome airlifted after serious crash, pneumothorax and injuries

Chris Froome, the fourtime Tour de France winner, was airlifted to hospital on Wednesday after a "serious training crash" while riding near Saint-Raphaël on the French Riviera and is due to undergo surgery after scans confirmed a collapsed lung, five broken ribs and a fractured lumbar vertebra. His Israel Premier Tech team said he was stable and had not sustained any head injuries.

"Chris was airlifted to hospital in Toulon yesterday afternoon following a serious training crash. No other cyclists or vehicles were involved," the team said in a statement posted on Froome's official social accounts. "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." French newspaper L'Equipe reported that Froome was conscious and speaking after the incident.

Medical teams took Froome to a hospital in Toulon, a short distance from his home in Monaco, where surgeons were preparing an operation on Thursday. Initial accounts had suggested a collision with a vehicle, but Israel Premier...