Froome airlifted to hospital after training crash, undergoes surgery

Chris Froome, the four‑time Tour de France winner, was airlifted to hospital on Wednesday after a serious training crash near Saint-Raphaël on the French Riviera and underwent surgery on Thursday for multiple injuries, his team and family said. IsraelPremier Tech said Froome, 40, is now recovering in hospital in Toulon after scans showed a collapsed lung, five broken ribs and a fractured lumbar vertebra, and added that procedures "went as planned" and the rider was "in good spirits."

The team said no other cyclists or vehicles were involved in the incident and that Froome did not sustain head injuries. A statement posted on his social media account described him as stable before the operation and promised further updates after surgery. French sports daily L'Équipe reported that Froome was conscious and communicating with people after the fall and that he was taken to the Sainte-Anne military hospital in Toulon, a regional trauma centre specialising in thoracic surgery.

Initial accounts from the team focused on the chest, rib and spinal injuries, but Froome's wife, Michelle, later told The Times that surgeons discovered an additional, far more serious injury during treatment. She...