Chris Froome details return from injury and retirement thoughts after horrific crash

Legendary cyclist Chris Froome revealed he briefly considered retirement as he was in intensive care in 2019, but now the 37 year old is riding pain free for the first time since the horrific crash.

Chris Froome will race on Sunday at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. Picture: Tom Huntley

FOUR-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome declared he is “riding pain free” for the first time since a horrific crash almost ended his career.

But the seven-time Grand Tour winner does not expect to contend in Sunday’s Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race in Geelong, revealing he will take part to build his fitness for a competitive European summer.

Froome said the Australian summer provided him the perfect platform for an assault on the Tour de France.

“Ideally I have the best build up possible for the Tour de France,” he said.

“I’ve always found that chasing the sun at this time of the year always helps set me up for the rest of the season.

Chris Froome will use Sunday’s race to build his fitness ahead of the European summer. Picture: Tim de Waele

“I’m not here to go for the win myself, but we have several guys on our team who are up for it and I’ll spend the race trying to set it up for them.

“Honestly I’m just incredibly grateful to be back racing my bike again after the injuries that I had back in 2019.

“From last year to now is the first time I was riding without any pain or holding me back, so I’d like to stay riding pain free and pick up from where I left off in the Tour de France last year.”

Froome suffered a fractured vertebrae, sternum, femur, elbow and ribs, as well as a collapsed lung, when he suffered a crash at the Critérium du Dauphiné in 2019.

Chris Froome after his horrific injury left him questioning if he would ever return to professional cycling. Picture: Twitter

The cyclist then spent six months recovering from the injuries sustained in the crash, as well as mental preparation as he readied himself to get back onto a bike.

Despite the horrific injuries and extended time spent in intensive care, Froome said retirement only briefly crossed his mind.

“I think initially when I woke up in ICU the day after the crash with a whole heap of broken bones I didn’t really know what the future held,” he said.

Chris Froome was airlifted to hospital with severe injuries from the crash. Picture: Anne-Christine

“But within 10 minutes of coming around I had the orthopaedic surgeon give me the news that there was a lot of damage but everything I did have I could make a full recovery from.

“When I heard that I thought ‘retirement is off the table, now what do I need to do to get back there’.

“That was music to my ears.”

Originally published as Chris Froome details return from injury and retirement thoughts after horrific crash