Cycling: Four-time Tour winner Froome announces retirement

Pericardial rupture discovered during surgery

The Brit, who was born in Kenya, suffered a life-threatening heart injury in a serious training accident late last summer. According to media reports, he had previously crashed into a traffic sign at over 45 kilometers per hour.

During the operation, a rupture of the pericardium was discovered, which was caused by blunt chest trauma. After the accident in southern France, there was initially talk of a pneumothorax, five broken ribs and a fractured lumbar vertebra.

Curious moment at Ventoux

Froome achieved his great successes at the height of the “Sky” team. In 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017 he celebrated overall victory in the Tour de France. He also won the Giro d’Italia in 2018 and the Spanish Vuelta in 2011 and 2017. After that, he struggled with health problems on several occasions.

Froome caused strange scenes in 2016. When he couldn’t continue because of his broken bike and the team car was too far away, he ran in a panic and tried to climb Mont Ventoux on foot for some time. The race management later decided in favor of the then wearer of the yellow jersey and subsequently evaluated the distances at the time of the incident a few hundred meters from the finish. Froome won the Tour ten days later in Paris.