• Rider recovering in St Etienne hospital after crash
• ‘I am fully focused on returning back to my best’

Chris Froome has admitted he is lucky to be alive after speaking for the first time since his horror cycling accident.

The four-time Tour de France winner came off his bike and hit a wall at 37mph on Wednesday while examining a time-trial stage route in the Critérium de Dauphiné. He sustained multiple fractures, including a broken leg, elbow and several ribs, requiring extensive surgery. It has been also been reported that Froome suffered a fractured neck, faces six weeks in hospital and is not expected to compete again this year.