Chris Froome back on bike for first time since horror crash

Chris Froome is back on his bike 10 weeks after the crash which hospitalised him at this year's Critérium du Dauphiné.

The four-time Tour de France winner lost four pints of blood and suffered fractures to his femur, elbow, sternum and vertebra and was placed in intensive care after crashing during a recon of the stage four time trial course at the French race.

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Since then, Froome has undertaken an arduous rehabilitation, saying the only goal he's set himself is to return to full fitness in time for the Tour de France 2020, where he will target a record-equalling fifth Tour victory.

The 34-year-old was back on the indoor trainer, pedalling with just his good leg, six weeks after the crash, but is now back on his bike.

A video posted to Twitter shows the rider interacting with fans in Nice and explaining to them what happened with his crash.

Team Ineos confirmed to Cycling Weekly that Froome has completed a couple of short track sessions, with the video in question filmed at the track, but that so far this is the limit of his riding.

The Brit is not yet able to return to open, public roads, with Froome clarifying this to a fan who thought he'd spotted him out on a training ride.

Despite being off the bike, Froome still managed to secure a Grand Tour, being handed the 2011 Vuelta a España after Juan José Cobo was stripped of the title following a doping violation.

When Froome returns to racing, he will face stiff competition for top billing in a stacked Ineos squad. At his last Tour de France in 2018, he had to watch team-mate Geraint Thomas climb up to the top step of the podium after securing a shock victory, and after Egan Bernal won this year's race the British squad will boast three former winners of the French Grand Tour.

That's before including Richard Carapaz, the Giro d'Italia 2019, who has been heavily rumoured to be moving to Ineos from Movistar ahead of the 2020 season.