Tour de France Chris Froome

Four-time champion Chris Froome’s team Israel Premier Tech and Uno-X of Norway complete the line-up for this year’s Tour de France. Photo: EPA/Christophe Petit-Tesson / POOL

Tour de France breaking news: Covid sends Chris Froome crashing out of peloton

Four-time champion Chris Froome was one of three riders to drop out of the Tour de France after testing positive for Covid on Thursday.

Tour de France Chris Froome

Four-time champion Chris Froome’s team Israel Premier Tech and Uno-X of Norway complete the line-up for this year’s Tour de France. Photo: EPA/Christophe Petit-Tesson / POOL

Four-time champion Chris Froome was one of three riders to drop out of the Tour de France after testing positive for Covid ahead of Thursday’s 18th stage from Lourdes to the High Pyrenees.

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Spain’s Imanol Erviti of Movistar and Italian Damiano Caruso of Bahrain Victorious also withdrew.

“Tests taken just before Thursday’s start showed that Chris has Covid,” Froome’s Israel Premier-Tech team said.

Chris Froome was 26th overall

Froome has never shown the same form as before his terrible accident at the 2019 Criterium de Dauphine.

But the veteran was digging deep on the 2022 Tour and was 26th in the overall classification around an hour off the overall lead.

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