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 crashed at nearly 35mph during his fourth-stage reconnaissance of the Criterium du Dauphine on Wednesday.

Lying in his hospital bed, Froome also paid tribute to cycling fans following his life-threatening crash.

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“I know how lucky I am to be here today and how much I owe to all the paramedics and medical staff on the race,” said Froome in a post published on the Team Ineos website. “Whilst this is a setback and a major one at

that, I am focusing on looking forward. There is a long road to recovery ahead, but that recovery starts now and I am fully focused on returning back to my best.”

The post was issued with a picture of Froome giving the thumbs up from his bed at the University Hospital of St Etienne where he underwent a sixhour operation.

It has been reported that the 34-year-old suffered a fractured neck and faces six weeks in hospital after he took his hand off his handlebars to blow his nose before a gust of wind destabilised his bike. He crashed into a wall and lost consciousness. He also has a fractured right femur, a broken hip, a fractured elbow and fractured ribs and was in intensive care following the surgery. Froome is not expected to compete again this year.

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“This is obviously a tough time but I have taken a lot of strength from the support over the last three days,” he added. “The outpouring of support has been really humbling and something I would never have expected.”

Wout Poels gave Team Ineos something to celebrate yesterday by winning stage seven of the Criterium du Dauphine. The Dutchman said: “It’s really nice for the team and it’s a gift for Chris also. I felt pretty strong all day. The team did an amazing job.”

Britain’s Adam Yates lost his grip on the overall lead with Jakob Fuglsang claiming the yellow jersey. He will start today’s final stage with an eight-second advantage.