Chris Froome's wife says the four-time Tour de France winner suffered a life-threatening injury to his heart in last week's bike crash in southern France.
The 40-year-old Briton was airlifted to hospital after sustaining five broken ribs, a collapsed lung and a lumbar vertebrae fracture in the training crash.
Froome's wife Michelle has since told The Times, that doctors discovered a pericardial rupture - an injury where the sac that surrounds the heart is torn - during surgery which they were able to repair.
Michelle Froome said her husband's injuries - sustained after he collided head-on with a road sign at more than 30mph - were "obviously a lot more serious than some broken bones".
"He's fine but it's going to be a long recovery process," she said.
"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."
The operation to repair Froome's heart took place at the Sainte-Anne Toulon military hospital, which is the highest-level trauma centre in that part of France and specialises in thoracic surgery.
