Froome out of Tour de France after Dauphine crash

Four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome remains in intensive care in hospital in eastern France after crashing during the Criterium du Dauphine in France on Wednesday.

The Team Ineos rider, 34, was airlifted to St Etienne University hospital after suffering ‘multiple fractures’ to his right femur, elbow and numerous ribs.

He crashed into the wall of a house in Roanne at about 54kph on stage four of the race.

In an official statement on Wednesday, Team Ineos said: "Team Ineos can confirm that Chris Froome sustained multiple serious injuries during a recon of stage four of the Criterium du Dauphine today.

"The 34-year-old crashed towards the end of his route recon in Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, sustaining injuries including a fractured right femur, a fractured elbow and fractured ribs.

"[He] has subsequently been ruled out of the rest of the race and will also miss the 2019 Tour de France."

Team Ineos principal Dave Brailsford told Radio 5 Live: "He’s not in great shape. There are crashes and bad crashes and this was a bad crash."

"We have had a look at his data, he went from 54kph to a dead stop.’

Christian Prudhomme, general director of the Tour de France, which gets under way on July 6 in Brussels, said: "My thoughts are first of all with him, because his fall was truly serious. Froome has been the central character of the tour since 2013. Without him, it is no longer the same race."