Froome is left trailing after recce crash

Chris Froome admitted crashing during his recce of the Giro d’italia’s opening stage was not the best start to his attempt to win a third straight grand tour but said it could have been worse.

Team Sky’s five-time grand tour winner was one of several riders to fall as they tested Jerusalem’s tight corners and rolling hills before the 9.7-kilometre time trial started but Froome got off lightly compared to ex-team-mate Kanstantsin Siutsou.

The Belarusian’s race was over before it started and he is now heading back to his Bah- rain Merida team’s Italian base with a broken neck.

Speaking after a stage that saw him cross the line in 21st place, 37 seconds behind defending champion and yesterday’s winner Tom Dumoulin, Froome said: “I’m alright and just grateful it wasn’t more serious – a few guys went down and some were pretty badly injured.”

Normally so solid against the clock, Froome rode like a man in pain, particularly in the twisty first half of the course, where he struggled to carry speed through corners.

The crash, which was filmed by a Belgian journalist and posted online, took place on a 90-degree turn about two kilometres into the course. Froome was not going quickly but his front wheel went from under him and he fell hard on his right side.

His team told reporters he was fine, bar a few scrapes, and the 32-yearold looked in reasonable shape as he did his usual high-intensity warm-up. Riding on a stationary bike is easier than riding on one that moves, though.

“Of course, it’s always going to hurt, it’s not ideal to race just after having crashed but that’s racing,” was all Froome would say, but reassured reporters his wounds were “superficial”.