Chris Froome's 2022 preparations interrupted by knee injury

Chris Froome has revealed he is suffering from knee pain, which he believes is a result of overtraining during his pre-season preparation.  

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Froome explained he has an inflamed tensor fascia latae, a small muscle that attaches to the iliotibial band (IT band), which is causing him significant pain while cycling. 

Froome said: "For the last 10 days or so, I've been getting quite a lot of pain on the outside of my knee while I'm pedalling. Unfortunately, I think getting back into training these past couple of weeks I might have been a little bit too keen, pushing a little too much.

"This was after a few weeks off the bike and maybe the body wasn't ready to push that hard. It's flared up and caused a bit of inflammation."

Now in the process of taking a week off, the 36-year-old describes the minor injury as a "setback", admitting he isn't sure when he will be able to start racing in 2022. 

"I’m going to have to take the best part of a week off the bike before starting very gradually. 

"It’s definitely a setback for me. I’m not too sure where I’m going to start the racing year and it’s going to push everything back slightly.”

The four-time Tour de France winner's pain is occurring on his right knee, the same leg he fractured his femur - along with a broken neck, elbow, hip and ribs - in a 2019 crash before the time trial of the Critérium du Dauphiné.

Since that 2019 crash, Froome has been unable to reach the same level which saw him produce wins on all three Grand Tours, and he has failed to win a race since the 2018 Giro d'Italia where he was awarded with the pink jersey.

Despite his dip in form in recent years though, the Israel Start-Up Nation rider still harbours aspirations to one day return to the top of the peloton. He is hoping to make more improvements heading into the new season, but clearly, this injury has halted his progress.