Following surgery to repair multiple injuries suffered during his high-speed crash at the Criterium du Dauphine on Wednesday, Chris Froome is already discussing rehabilitation options with his team.
Team INEOS said in a statement last night that even though the four-time Tour de France winner would remain in hospital for the next few days for observation, he was already assessing the road ahead.
Team doctor Richard Usher, who confirmed that the six-hour operation was a success, said it was a “very encouraging” sign.
“Chris woke up this morning and was reviewed by the intensive care consultants and the orthopaedic specialist who operated on him and they’re both very happy with his progress to date.”
Froome reportedly crashed at 55km/h on a recon of stage four of the traditional Tour de France tune-up race, fracturing his femur, hip, elbow, ribs as well as sustaining other internal injuries.
He was taken to Roanne Hospital where he was stabilised and assessed before being helicoptered to St Etienne Hospital for surgery.
“As he begins his road to recovery, the team will now only be providing further updates at a stage where it is necessary to do so,” said Usher.
“Chris has asked the team to extend his thanks for the overwhelming number of messages of support that he’s received over the last 24 hours. They mean a lot to him.”
Meanwhile, yesterday’s news that 2011 Vuelta a Espana champion Juan Jose Cobo has been found guilty of an anti-doping violation means that Froome – who finished runner-up in that year’s Spanish Grand Tour – could retroactively be awarded the victory if the ruling stands.
The Brit, who went on to finish second to teammate Bradley Wiggins in the following year’s Tour de France, collected his first Grand Tour title in Paris in 2013. He has since collected another three Tour titles to go with victories in the 2017 Vuelta and last year’s Giro d’Italia.
