Chris Froome shares gruesome details of crash that put an end to his career: 'I don’t think I’d still be here'

Chris Froome and the end of his cycling career—it was undoubtedly one of the strangest moments of 2026. The Briton won the Tour de France four times and was one of the best stage racers of his generation, but he never officially retired. In an interview with Cyclingnews, Froome explains why.

Confirmation of the end of his career didn’t come until July 2026, six months after his contract with Israel-Premier Tech had expired and no new team had materialised. The British rider, now 40 years old, emphasized at the time that a crash in the summer of 2025 was the reason behind his somewhat forced decision to retire.

Froome crashed during a training ride last August, and in the interview he explains just how serious that crash ultimately turned out to be. According to official reports, Froome crashed in France and was diagnosed at the hospital in Toulon with a collapsed lung, along with five broken ribs and a fractured lower back vertebra. On paper, it didn’t seem like an insurmountable situation, but the reality was a bit different.

His wife Michelle described a ruptured pericardium, which suddenly made the entire situation life-threatening. However, the surgery in Toulon went well, allowing Froome to begin his rehabilitation. After a week in the hospital, he was allowed to go home, and it didn’t look like he was going to announce the end of his career.

"I'm especially glad to be alive," Froome said recently. "I nearly killed myself on the bike, and I've been through months of hospital visits and medical issues. I had to get healthy again so I could lead a normal life. That's why I assumed everyone knew I had quit."

An official announcement was never made, because Froome had more important things on his mind. When he attended the Tour de France start in Barcelona in the summer of 2026, he was starting to feel a bit like his old self again. “I was still in the hospital in January, even though I’d crashed in August. I was never able to make a personal announcement about my retirement.”

"I told people that signing with Israel-Premier Tech was my last contract. I thought it was clear," Froome continued. The crash changed his mindset. "I was almost dead; my pericardium was torn open, leaving my heart exposed. I broke all my ribs, which caused my chest cavity to collapse. I had metal plates inserted into all my ribs, because otherwise everything would have collapsed."

Froome continued: “My ribs also caused damage to my right lung, and thus my pericardium. I was literally bleeding out. If the ambulance hadn’t arrived within 7 or 8 minutes, I don’t think I’d still be here. I was really, really, really lucky. In January, I still had to have surgery because one of the plates on my ribs became infected.”

"It wasn't until late January and February that I was back to normal, but it's only now that I'm socially visible again," concluded Froome, who is still riding his bike. But he'll never do that again as a pro.