Chris Froome, a four-time winner of the Tour de France, has concluded his career in professional cycling. The 41-year-old British rider had not competed since August 2025 following a serious crash. During the incident, he collided with a road sign at speed, sustaining multiple injuries including five broken ribs, a collapsed lung, and a lumbar vertebrae fracture. His wife later confirmed that doctors discovered and repaired a pericardial rupture, a tear in the sac surrounding the heart, during surgery.
Froome acknowledged the impact of the crash on his decision, stating to Belgian broadcaster Sporza, “Unfortunately, there was that crash last summer – that was not the way I wanted it to end. But even then, I knew it was over.”
A career of Grand Tour victories
The Kenyan-born cyclist retires as one of the most decorated riders in the sport’s history, having secured seven Grand Tour titles while with Team Sky, now known as Team Ineos. His victories in the Tour de France occurred in 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2017. Only four other cyclists, Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault, Miguel Indurain, and Eddy Merckx, have achieved more Tour de France titles.
Beyond the Tour de France, Froome also claimed victory in the Giro d’Italia in 2018 and the Vuelta a Espana in 2011 and 2017. He also earned two Olympic bronze medals in the individual time trial events in 2012 and 2016. In recognition of his contributions to cycling, Froome was made an OBE in 2015.
One of the most memorable moments of Froome’s career took place during his 2016 Tour de France win. During stage 12, just over one kilometre from the finish line, he was forced to run without his bicycle after a collision with a motorbike on Mont Ventoux. With his bike rendered unrideable and his team car, carrying a replacement, several minutes behind, he began running towards the finish. He initially attempted to use a neutral service bike before switching to a third bike from the Team Sky car approximately 200 metres later, eventually crossing the line visibly frustrated.
Froome reflected on the incident, saying, “I told myself, ‘I don’t have a bike and my car is five minutes behind with another bike – it’s too far away, I’m going to run a bit’.” Following the stage, initial results placed fellow Brit Adam Yates in the yellow jersey, but commissaires later neutralised the results, allowing Froome to retain his lead to Paris.
His 2017 Tour de France defence was less dramatic, notable for the fact that he did not win a single stage. Team-mate Geraint Thomas held the yellow jersey after the opening time trial, with Froome taking it from him on stage five to La Planche des Belles Filles. Although Fabio Aru briefly seized the lead after his win on the climb to Peyragudes, Froome regained it on stage 14 and went on to win by 54 seconds from Rigoberto Uran.
In 2017, Froome was involved in an anti-doping case after a sample revealed more than the permitted level of the legal asthma medication salbutamol. The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), in collaboration with the UCI, later concluded there was no breach, and the case was dropped.
Challenges and later career
Froome’s 2011 Vuelta a Espana victory was retrospectively awarded. He was initially a late replacement in the Team Sky line-up and rode as a domestique for Bradley Wiggins. He took the leader’s red jersey after the stage 10 time trial, eventually finishing second overall. When Juan Jose Cobo was banned for drug offences in July 2019, Froome was named the winner.
He left Team Ineos in 2020 after his contract was not renewed and subsequently joined Israel-Premier Tech. Following a 2019 crash that resulted in multiple injuries, including a broken femur and hip, Froome worked to regain full fitness. However, he struggled to recapture the form he had demonstrated with his former team. He was not selected for Israel-Premier Tech’s last three Tour de France races and was released from the team in November.
Froome’s best result during this period was a distant third on stage 12 of the 2022 Tour de France, a stage won by Tom Pidcock at the summit of Alpe d’Huez. After 2022, Froome did not return to the race that had been central to his career and for which he is widely recognised.
His 2018 Giro d’Italia win included a remarkable comeback, notably winning stage 19 by a significant margin of three minutes. This victory made him the first Briton to win the Giro.
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Source: bbc.com
Sam Whitlock is a Sports News Writer at News-GB.org. He moved from local newspapers into digital sport. He focuses on rugby union, golf and boxing and is known for clear, deadline-driven reporting. He holds a degree in Journalism from the University of Gloucestershire and completed an NCTJ diploma. Now based in Gloucester, he plays amateur rugby and follows the fight game. “Clarity beats cleverness in breaking sport news.”