Victim of a fall in training before the 4th stage of Dauphiné this Wednesday 12th June 2019, the British rider Chris Froome is already forfeit for the Tour de France this summer.
The British rider Chris Froome is in “a very serious state “, “it is clear that he will not start the Tour” of France in early July 2019, said team manager Ineos Dave Brailsford at the microphone of France 3, on the sidelines of the Dauphiné on Wednesday 12th June.
Falling in training
Froome fell Wednesday morning in training during the recognition of the 4th stage of Dauphine. “He came against a wall. It’s a serious accident, “Brailsford said, indicating that the cyclist had” struggled to talk “within minutes of his fall.
🚲 Dave Brailsford, manager @TeamINEOS, après la chute de Chris Froome lors de la reconnaissance de la 4e étape du #Dauphiné : “Je pense qu’il ne pourra pas faire le Tour de France”.
Le contre-la-montre de Roanne en direct : https://t.co/5FrQlfuAYP pic.twitter.com/CkXgr5vRxk
— France tv sport (@francetvsport) 12 June 2019
Open fracture of the femur?
Froome would suffer including an open fracture of the femur, according to a witness present at the scene of the accident. It is also affected at other places of the body (elbow in particular).
The Briton was treated on the spot, first by the medical service of the organization (ASO), then by the firemen and the Samu.
According to Brailsford, the Nairobi-born rider had to be transported by helicopter and directed to a hospital, “either in Saint-Etienne or Lyon”.
It is a gust of wind that is at the origin of the fall of Froome, party recognize in the middle of the day, under the sun, the course of the time trial of Dauphine with his lieutenant, the Dutch climber Wout Poels.
“They were driving very fast, there was a lot of wind. The wind took the front wheel and he (Froome) got into a wall, “Brailsford said.
The fall of the quadruple winner of the Tour de France occurred in the village of Saint-André d’Apchon (Loire), in a straight line and downhill. At this point, the riders pass about 60 km/h, the speed estimated by many of them.
Froome, three times winner of the Dauphine, used the alpine event as a test at the approach of the Tour. Very discreet since the beginning of the season, he was revving since the beginning of the week and was in 8th place, 24 seconds behind Belgian Dylan Teuns
Prudhomme: “It can not be the same thing”
The 34-year-old Briton won the Tour four times (2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017). Three times, he won the Dauphiné before (2013, 2015 and 2016), the rehearsal of the Tour de France.
“We wish him the best recovery,” told AFP Tour Director Christian Prudhomme, who spoke about the consequences for the next edition of the Grand Loop.
“Without him or with him, it obviously can not be the same thing. Chris Froome has been the central character of the Tour since 2013.
“This almost certain package according to Dave Brailsford changes the game,” added the director of the Tour. “Even if the Ineos team is very strong with the defending champion, (Briton) Geraint Thomas, who should not be underestimated and (the Colombian) Egan Bernal who will be his lieutenant if not more “.
The injury, the severity of which remains to be confirmed, however, would be the most serious in the career of Froome since he arrived at the highest level in the early 2010s (4 Tours, 1 Giro, 1 Vuelta).
In the recent past, the British has fallen several times, especially during the recognition of the course of the inaugural time trial of the Giro 2018 in Jerusalem. But he was able to take part in the race and win it three weeks later.
