Driver rams Froome off road in hit-and-run
CHRIS FROOME, the three-time Tour de France champion, was rammed by a hit-and-run driver while riding in the countryside.
The British cyclist said his bike had been badly damaged in southern France yesterday after he was struck “on purpose” in an attack “by an impatient driver”.
Froome, 31, said he was “thankfully OK” after being hit by the motorist, who he said followed him on to the pavement and “rammed” his bike, before driving off.
The incident has been reported to the police but it is unclear if they will be able to trace the driver, as the collision took place on a quiet road so there is unlikely to be any CCTV footage.
Froome tried to memorise the licence plate at the time, but was unable to recall it later on, it is understood.
He posted a picture on Twitter of his crumpled £10,000 bike at the side of the road, saying it had been “totalled”.
The Team Sky rider is understood to have been cycling in Beausoleil, south-eastern France, on a narrow road that made it difficult to overtake.
Froome, who lives in Monaco with his wife and six-month-old son, is thought to have ridden on to the pavement to get out of the way, but the car followed him so he jumped off his bike. He described how the car mounted the pavement and drove at his bike, apparently into a street post.
Froome is already back in training as he prepares to try to win a fourth Tour de France title in five years this July.
Last month, Michele Scarponi, a 37-year-old former Giro d’Italia winner, was killed when he was knocked off his bike by a van while training in Italy. (© Daily Telegraph, London)