Chris Froome: Family Tragedy, Injuries & Net Worth
British road cyclist Chris Froome is a skilled rider who is both a time trialist and a climbing specialist.
As a rider from the UCL WorldTeam Israel Start-Up Nation, he participates in many cycling competitions.
Froome is a four-time Tour de France winner and has two Olympic bronze medals under his name.
Moreover, he won one bronze medal in London in 2012 and another one in Rio in 2016.
Also, in the 2017 World Championships, he managed to take a bronze medal home.
After making his debut in 2008, he proved his potential by storm over the cycling field.
Moreover, he won prestigious championships since his debut, which made people suspicious of his physiological measurement.
In his journey as a professional cyclist, he has been caught on some controversies which even dangered his career.
Similarly, Froome had some crashes and got injured as well.
There’s always more to a cyclist’s journey. You can learn more about his personal life and his controversies in this article.
Quick Facts
Here are some quick facts about Chris Froome:
| Full Name | Christopher Clive Froome |
| Birth Date | 20 May 1985 |
| Birth Place | Nairobi, Kenya |
| Residence | Monaco |
| Nickname | Froomey |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Nationality | English |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Hobbies | N/A |
| Food Habit | N/A |
| Education | Banda Primary School, St John’s College, University of Johannesburg. |
| Zodiac Sign | Gemini |
| Birth Stone | Emerald |
| Father’s Name | Clive Froome |
| Mother’s Name | Jane Flatt |
| Siblings | Brothers: Jeremy Froome & Jonathan Froome |
| Age | 38 Years Old |
| Height | 6 feet 1 inch |
| Reach | N/A |
| Weight | 66 kg |
| Eye Color | Brown |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Appearance | Fair |
| Body type | Athletic |
| Profession | Professional road racing cyclist |
| Associated Teams | UCI WorldTeam Israel Start-up Nation, Team Sky, Barloworld & Team Konica Minolta. |
| Individual Awards | Seven Grand Tours, Tour de France ( 2013 2015 2016 2017), Vuelta a España (2011 2017), 2018 Giro d’italia , Olympic bronze medals. |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Wife’s Name | Michelle Cound |
| Active Years |
2008 – Present |
| Children | Son: Kellan Froome Daughter: Katie Froome |
| Net Worth | $12 million |
| Social Media | Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok |
| Merch | Va Va Froome: The Remarkable Rise of Chris Froome |
| Last Update | April, 2024 |
Chris Froome: Early Life
Christopher Clive Froome, popularly known by his stage name Chris Froome was born on the 20th of May, 1985.
He was born to Clive Froome, father, and mother, Jane Froome.
During that time, his grandparents had moved to Kenya from England to open up a crop farm.
Froome has two older brothers Jeremy Froome & Jonathan Froome. His father, Clive, formerly played field hockey at the under-19 level for England.
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Early Career and Education
During his time in Kenya, he attended the Banda School for his primary schooling.
Also, he discarded bike parts and sold avocados during his off-school hours.
Despite staying in Kenya, his parents gave him enough exposure to their British values and customs.
Therefore, he decided to take on cycling as his profession and represent Great Britain in world competitions.
At the mere age of 13, he participated in a charity cycling race, which he won, and there he met David Kinjah.
The professional cyclist, David, turned into Froome’s trainer and mentored Chris in his early cycling journey.
However, not everything was all sunshine when he started. His trainer Kinjah thought he wasn’t well cut out to compete in the professional field.
Also, later on, his mother was frustrated with his cycling and made him get rid of it.
As a result, Froome went to study at St. Andrew’s School in South Africa at 14 years old.
Further, he attended St John’s College in Johannesburg, where he was the cycling captain.
Similarly, for his two years economics degree, he registered at the University of Johannesburg. But, later on, he left his studies to focus on cycling.
He started competing in road cycling during his school vacations. It was finally at age 22 he managed to turn professional and started gaining success.
Chris Froome: Career
Cycling is one of the popular sport of today, and people earn enough from this sport to live a luxurious life.
In his 14 years professional career, he has competed in various championships.
Moreover, the cyclist has participated in the Tour of Japan, All-Africa Games, Giro del Capo, World Championships, etc.
Morever, he rode during the Gent-Wevelgem, Ardennes Classics and Criterium. Froome has competed with the likes of fellow cyclists Robbie Hunter, Peter Sagan, and Tom Dumoulin.
Debut
Froome started playing at the mere age of 13 but only debuted in the professional field at 22 years old.
He initially competed in the 2006 road race and the road trial during the Common Wealth Games.
In addition, he took part in the 2006 Road World Championship under-23 category in Salzburg, Austria.
However, not long after starting, he crashed with an official there, and they both fell.
Fortunately, the incident caused no injuries, and he completed the match in 36th place. Froome came into the limelight after he forged his entry into the Championship.
He had used Kenya’s then cycling federation president Julius Mwangi’s email account.
Meanwhile, he impersonated the president to gain entry as he wanted to join the championship.
His only goal was to compete in European competitions. The cyclist wanted to use his experience to join a professional cycling team. First, he played for Kenya, and then he decided to join a team.
Froome firstly joined the Konica Minolta team, which was a South African team in 2007.
The following year he entered Team Barloworld and competed in the Tour de France, ranking the 84th position.
Competition
In 2008, Froome competed in the Giro del Capo grabbing the second position.
The same year he converted his Kenyan license to British to ride in the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Also, he became the first Kenya-born cyclist to participate in the European championship Tour de France.
The cyclist stood in 84th position during the games, and in the young rider category, he ranked eleventh.
In addition, he joined Team Sky in 2010, which is a British cycling team. He played for the team in the 2010 season and ranked ninth at the Tour du Haut Var.
In addition, Froome became second at the national time trial championships.
Also, in 2010, he competed at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, where he represented England. Froome ranked fifth in the competition.
Moreover, he became part of the team that won Great Britain’s world road race championship.
At the Tour of Beijing, he ranked third, behind the winner Tony Martin by only 26 seconds.
Meanwhile, Froome competed in the Herald Sun Tour in 2016. Also, during the Rio Olympics in 2016, he won a bronze medal at Men’s Time Trial event.
In 2018, the cyclist won the Giro d’italia and made history by being the first-ever British rider to win it.
Then, after he completed the Grand Tour grand slam, he became the seventh man ever to do so.
However, in 2020 he announced his comeback at the Vuelta a San Juan on January 24, 2021.
After that, he joined the Israel Start-Up Nation and planned to do several competitions.
But, due to the COVID-19, his debut got canceled.
Meanwhile, he made his comeback at the UAE Tour, where he suffered from some injuries. However, he completed the race.
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Chris Froome: Injuries and Family Tragedies
In 2010 he suffered from schistosomiasis, which is a parasitic disease caught when he visited Kenya.
After two following years, he was still ill and said to have the parasitic disease. Therefore, he withdrew from the cycling stage race, Volta ao Algarve.
In 2019 Critérium du Dauphiné Froome lost his balance and hit a stone wall.
As a result, he severely hurt his right leg leading to fractures. It also led him to have a collapsed lung, for which he had to undergo surgery.
During the Tour de France 2021, Froome crashed into Landerneau at 10 kilometers of the stage.
Moreover, the cyclist injured his left groin and had difficulty breathing, so the race doctors examined him.
In 2008 before his debut, Froome lost his mother due to cancer.
Froome mentioned that his mother encouraged him to focus on cycling.
Meanwhile, this path completely changed his life for the better. Froome further quoted that his mother would be happy to see him compete.
Remembering his mother, he dedicated his 2013 Tour de France win to her.
High level of medication and Physiology Test
During 2017 Vuelta an España, he was accused of consuming a high level of an asthma drug.
As a result, he failed the test of drug consumption, and the Vuelta committee did further tests.
While he was competing, he had increased his medication dose, which caused all his accusations.
However, he clarified that he had taken his salbutamol dose on the limit and did not break any of the game’s rules.
In addition, his asthma level was going up, so with his doctor’s advice, he doubled his medication dose.
Then, he added, he was aware of the required medication and only had the permissible dose.
Meanwhile, Froome’s representative team, Team Sky, hired legal and medical experts to support his case.
Froome had to undergo a physiological test after lots of people doubted his ability and winnings.
Moreover, the allegations started when he won the 2013 Tour de France since he suddenly started winning these high titles.
Meanwhile, he took an independent physiological test on August 17, 2015, to calculate his oxygen consumption, peak power, and sustainability.
Also, Froome calculated his oxygen intake at 84.6 ml, and his peak power was 525 W.
After all this, he even shared his 2007 results. That time, Froome measured his peak power at 540 W, 420 2 threshold power, 80.2 ml oxygen intake, and 75.6 kg body weight.
Controversies
During the 2010 Giro d’italia, Froome was found holding on to a police motorbike during the game.
So, he was fined Swiss Francs £120 under article 12.1.040.18. Also, he was disqualified from the game for his foul attempt.
Froome was suffering from knee pain that day which led him to hold on to the motorbike for support.
Chris Froome: Body Measurement
Froome has an athletic body with a height of 6 feet 1 inch and weighs around 66 kg. He has a fair appearance with short black hair.
Froome has beautiful dark brown eyes; however, his other body measurements are not public.
Since he is a professional athlete, he maintains a healthy lifestyle by consuming nutritious food.
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Chris Froome: Achievement and Titles
Froome has won several titles in his cycling journey. He has won seven Grand Tours.
Also, he ranked first in 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2017 on the Tour de France.
Morever, both in 2011 and 2017, he won Vuelta a España and 2018 Giro d’italia.
The cyclist also ranked first in Tour de Romandie, Critérium du Dauphiné, Tour of Oman, and Vuelta a Andalucia.
Froome is the three-time winner of Velo d’Or in 2013, 2015, and 2017.
In addition, in 2013, the cyclist was crowned Velo Magazine International Cyclist of the Year.
He received the International Flandrien of the Year award both in 2013 and 2017.
Moreover, in 2016, he was awarded the Officer of the Order of the British Empire award.
Chris Froome: Autobiography
Froome has an autobiography named “The Climb” that tells the story of his life.
The story about the demise of his mother and his severe crashes & injuries is also in his autobiography book.
Moreover, The Climb is rated 4.5 stars by GoodReads.
Chris Froome: Personal Life
Chris Froome is happily married to South African native Michelle Cound. Moreover, she is professionally a sports photographer born in Welsh.
In addition, Cound is usually seen confronting people on her social media. The cyclist’s wife got in a Twitter war with cyclist Bradley Wiggins’ wife, Catherine Wiggins.
Eventually, in the 2012 Tour de France, Froome had to hold back so that his teammate Wiggins could catch up.
However, Wiggins won the championship, which didn’t please Cound.
She again got angry at the Wiggins couple in 2013 for not congratulating her husband Froome for his 2013 Tour de France win.
Froome first met his wife Cound in 2009 through his friend fellow rider Daryl Impey.
After their love story started blooming, they moved to the South of France, Monaco, in 2011.
Meanwhile, when they were on holiday in Italy in 2013, Froome proposed to her. Cound added that he made her breakfast and got on one knee.
Further, they got engaged the same year, and a year later, they got married in South Africa. The couple gave birth to their firstborn son named Kellan on December 24, 2015.
Moreover, on August 1st, 2018, his daughter Katie was born. Thus, the Froome family is living a happy life together.
Chris Froome: Social Media
It seems like Road Cyclist Froome loves communicating with his fans. He is available on almost all of the popular social networking sites giving updates about his life.
He is active on Instagram with a whopping 1.1 million followers.
Froome is surely a family man as he shares many pictures of his kids Kellan and Katie.
Moreover, the family seems to be going on vacations and having lots of fun together.
People can also follow him through his Twitter handle, which has 1.5 million followers. He joined Twitter in August 2009.
The professional cyclist is also active on Tiktok and Facebook.
On the video-sharing app TikTok, he has over 37.4k followers and has received around 108.3k likes for his shared videos.
Chris Froome: Net Worth
Professional road racing cyclist Froome earns a massive amount of income from his participation in various tournaments.
Moreover, he has bagged loads of money from winning competitions that add to his net worth.
Froome has an estimated net worth of a whopping $12 million.
He maintains a luxurious lifestyle and resides in a huge house with his wife & children in Monaco.
The cyclist is on a contract deal of €5.5 million with his current team, Israel Start-Up Nation.
FAQs
Who is the world’s richest cyclist?
Currently, Slovak cyclist Peter Sagan holds the crown as the richest cyclist. The cyclist is estimated to have a net worth of €6 million.
What is the average salary of a professional cyclist?
The annual salary of top cyclists can be around $100,000 annually and weekly $1.923.
However, the average annual and weekly pay is $56,452 and $1,085, respectively.
