Team Ineos’ Chris Froome says next year’s Tour de France continues to be his “only goal” as he recovers from a serious crash. The 34-year-old has been on the sidelines since June 12 after he fell off his bike during the Criterium du Dauphine. Froome broke his neck, femur, elbow, hip and ribs after hitting a wall at 54km/h when he attempted to blow his nose.
He sat out this year’s Tour, with team-mate Egan Bernal winning in Paris last month, but has already started his rehabilitation programme. Froome told reporters: “It’s safe to say I’m ahead of all the predictions made initially of how long it would take. “The news from the surgeon when he said I could make a full recovery – and there’s nothing stopping me – that’s all I wanted to hear at that point. From then, everything was so positive. I was incredibly lucky not to be more seriously injured.
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“For me the underlying goal is to get to the start line in 2020 and be at a similar or better position than I was this year. That’s what is driving me at the moment. “It’s been incredible the number of messages I’ve received in hospital, at home and throughout the Tour de France. It’s been amazing and just really heartwarming and motivational for me to see how much I’ve been missed in the race this year. “It’s motivation for me to want to get back there in the future.”
