Chris Froome 'doored' on way home by driver on training ride, four-time Tour de France champion suffers injury
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Updated 27/09/2022 at 08:14 GMT
Chris Froome has revealed he was "doored" on his way home from a training ride in Monaco. The four-time Tour de France champion has suffered a minor injury and has called on drivers to learn the 'Dutch Reach' to reduce the likelihood of such incidents happening. “I didn’t even make it to my brakes," said Froome. "I hit the door and went flying over.”
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Chris Froome has revealed he was "doored" when returning to his home in Monaco from a training ride on Sunday.
Froome broke the news on TikTok, appearing with a bandage on his left elbow, and has asked drivers to learn the 'Dutch Reach' technique, which reduces the likelihood of such incidents.
'Dooring' is when a driver opens their car door and hits a cyclist coming past, usually through a misjudgement or not looking.
“Yesterday I went out for a lovely Sunday ride,” said Froome. “It was stunning, lovely weather, stunning views, but just before I got home, 50 metres before my front door, I got doored.
“That means, as I was riding along, someone in a parked car opened their door right in front of me.
"It was literally a metre in front of me. I didn’t even make it to my brakes. I hit the door and went flying over.”
He added: “I've just got one piece of advice for anyone getting out of their vehicle.
“It's called the Dutch Reach. Instead of opening the door with the hand that’s closest to the door, use your opposite hand so you naturally turn your body in that way.
“You get to see if there’s any traffic coming, or most importantly, any bikes coming. So, use the Dutch Reach. It’s extremely helpful and causes a lot less pain to our cyclists and it’s a very simple thing for you guys to do.”
Froome had a high-speed training crash in 2019 during the Criterium du Dauphine when he hit a wall.
He was hospitalised with a fractured right femur, a fractured elbow and fractured ribs. He has since struggled for form.
Some people commented on Froome’s video that cyclists should ride away from parked vehicles to avoid being 'doored'.
In response to one of the commenters, Froome replied: “Are you not supposed to give room for an opening door? Not always possible when the road is narrow and cars are passing.”
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