Four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome suffered a life-threatening heart injury during last week’s training accident, according to his wife Michelle.

The crash in the south of France on Wednesday left Froome needing surgery to repair a fractured vertebrae, collapsed lung and five broken ribs, having been airlifted to hospital.

It has now been revealed the operation also uncovered a rupture of the pericardium – a fluid-filled sac that surrounds the heart – due to blunt chest trauma, which incurred when Froome collided with a road sign at over 30mph.

“It was obviously a lot more serious than some broken bones,” Froome’s wife told The Times. “He’s fine, but it’s going to be a long recovery process.

“He won’t be riding a bike for a while. Chris is happy for you to share this because people need to understand what is going on.”

Froome is expected to make a full recovery, but at the very least the current season is over.

A statement on behalf of Froome was posted on his Instagram account on September 1, which said: “Chris is deeply grateful for all the kind messages of support.

“He’s still in hospital and focusing on his recovery, so he isn’t able to respond personally for the time being [sorry also to all those that are messaging him on WhatsApp too]. Your thoughts and encouragement mean the world to him.”

The 40-year-old is in the final months of the five-year contract he signed when he left Ineos Grenadiers to join Israel Premier Tech ahead of the 2021 campaign.

Froome won the Tour de France in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017, also winning the Giro d’Italia in 2018 and the Vuelta a Espana in both 2011 and 2017 – all with Team Sky.