Chris Froome Looking Ahead to 2020 Tour, Olympics After Surgery

Rebecca Reza
Photo credit: Christopher Jue/Getty Images - Getty Images
Photo credit: Christopher Jue/Getty Images - Getty Images

From Bicycling

  • Four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome experienced a nasty crash at the Critérium du Dauphiné in June, breaking his leg, hip, elbow, and ribs.

  • Froome underwent surgery last week to remove hardware from his hip resulting from the crash, and is already looking forward to the 2020 Tour and the Tokyo Olympics.

Chris Froome briefly took his hands off the handlebars during a recon of stage 4 at the Critérium du Dauphiné in June. In an instant, he was smashing violently into a wall at 40 mph.

Hours later, his list of injuries included a fractured femur, hip, elbow, and ribs.

Not only was the chance of matching a record fifth win at the Tour de France out of the question, but many also worried the crash would be career-ending.

“Initially when I woke up in the ICU, all I wanted to hear was that it would be possible to come back to the same level,” Froome said in a news release from his team. “As soon as I knew that then everything was so much clearer for me. I had a clear goal, and that’s to get back to the Tour de France next year.”

Last week, the four-time Tour de France champion underwent surgery to remove hardware from his hip. On Twitter, he posted a proud photo of the hefty metal piece extricated from his body—or, as he called it, a “small memento from the 2019 Dauphiné.”

He followed that up with a photo posted on Instagram yesterday that appeared to show a cupping procedure, which he hashtagged as #RoadtoTDF2020 and #roadtotokyo2020, further emphasizing his intention to get back to competition.

And the doctor’s office hasn’t been the only place he’s been making strides: He’s gotten back on the bike, too. His first training ride back on the road had been in September, with a brief return to racing at the Saitama Criterium in Japan last month. He coupled the race with a short recon of the Olympic route in Tokyo, determined to make the team for Great Britain.

Then, in October, he was a special guest at the route reveal for the 2020 Tour.

“Given the injuries I’ve had, I think a lot of people would have seen that a career-ending crash,” Froome added in the release. “I’m extremely lucky to be where I am now. I just see it as such an amazing opportunity that I have ahead of me now, that we’re even talking about coming back for next year.”

Froome is leaning on his mental strength and perseverance as he continues to work on the road ahead to full recovery. But with a stacked arsenal of talent on Team Ineos, it won’t be any easy glide right back into team lead: Team Ineos will have the past three Tour champions—Egan Bernal, Geraint Thomas, and Froome— on the squad next season. Further complicating matters, the team announced the signing of another GC heavy weight, Richard Carapaz of Ecuador, after his win at the Giro d’Italia.

Time will tell whether Froome will be able to return to the same level he was at prior to the crash in order to captain the team come July. Team Principal Sir Dave Brailsford agreed the road ahead is a long one, but has no doubt of Froome’s return.

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“He’s on the right track…I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so hungry and determined,” said Brailsford, speaking of Froome at the Tour reveal. “When he sees this course and this route, he’ll be ready to go. It’s a hard, mountainous race. That final mountain time trial will be important…somebody like Chris and the guys will be looking at that thinking, ‘I can win that.’”

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