Chris Froome soldiers through Tirreno-Adriatico following crash and scans

Chris Froome (Israel-Premier Tech) survived stage 3 of Tirreno-Adriatico after battling 225km of racing between Volterra and Gualdo Tadino.

The former Tour de France winner was taken for scans on Tuesday following a heavy fall with less than 5km to go on stage 2. He was slow to reach his feet after the incident but finished the stage alongside teammates Simon Clarke and Mads Würtz Schmidt.

On Wednesday there had been concern that the veteran would be forced out of the race but the 38-year-old was given the all-clear following checks at a local hospital, and scans of an injured left wrist revealed no fractures.

Froome’s wrist was bandaged before Wednesday's stage 3, and his team released a brief statement confirming that the rider had been cleared to race.

The long stage brought the riders over rolling terrain and through heavy showers before Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) took the win ahead of Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek). With no aspirations of challenging for the GC, Froome rode through the stage focussing on survival and finished 168th on the stage.

“That definitely wasn’t the most enjoyable stage with 225km of racing in the cold and rain, let alone after crashing yesterday,” the British rider said after reaching the team hotel on Wednesday evening.“

The goal today was to get through the stage and I did that so I’ll keep taking it day by day and see how my wrist is feeling as the week goes on.”

Froome sits 165th overall in the race, one place ahead of fellow Brit Mark Cavendish. The race marks Froome’s European debut in 2024 after he made an appearance at the Tour du Rwanda earlier in the year.

The four-time Tour winner remains hopeful of making the team’s roster this July after missing out on selection in 2023. Tirreno-Adriaitco represents his first WorldTour level race in almost a year, and while his race programme remains unclear for the coming months, he remains determined to race the Tour this summer.

"The goal for me is to try and get to the Tour in the best shape possible this year,” he told Cyclingnews on the eve of Tirreno. “First of all, get to the Tour after having missed out last year. I'd really like to get back there again this year.”

According to Cyclingnews, Froome was selected for Tirreno after teammate Derek Gee sustained an injury. It’s unclear as to where he will race in the next two months but Tirreno-Adriatico concludes this Sunday.