to the Critérium du Dauphiné. On 12 June 2019, Froome was hospitalised with a fractured right femur, a fractured elbow, and fractured ribs, after a high-speed crash into a wall while training for the 4th stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné. The incident ruled out his participation in the 2019 Tour de France. He spoke for the first time on 3 August 2019 in an interview about the incident and the recovery process. On 10 September 2019, almost 3 months into his recovery, Froome was confirmed to participate in the 7th edition of the Saitama Criterium, and on 29 September 2019 posted to social media that he was back training on the road. 2020: Back on the road; leaving Team Ineos In his first official team interview posted on 17 January 2020, Froome confirmed that he had been given the green light to begin full training following the rehab stage of his recovery and participated in a training camp with several teammates in Gran Canaria, citing his big focus as getting to the 2020 Tour de France with the ambition of getting his fifth overall victory. On 22 January, it was announced that Froome's first race back would be the UAE Tour at the end of February, rejoining the peloton for the first time since his accident. On 9 July 2020, it was announced that Froome's contract with would not be extended beyond the end of the 2020 season, having been with the team since its formation in 2010. Later that day, Froome signed a "long-term" contract with from the 2021 season. Following the end of the lockdown, Froome completed the Route d'Occitanie, the Tour de l'Ain and the Critérium du Dauphiné. On 19 August 2020, it was announced that he would not be part of the team for the Tour de France, but would instead be the team's designated leader at the Vuelta a España, which would eventually be his final race with Ineos. 2021: A new chapter; Israel Start-up Nation Froome had been training and working on further rehabilitation in southern California in preparation for the 2021 season. On 17 December 2020, it was announced that he would make his debut at the Vuelta a San Juan in Argentina starting on 24 January. However, with the cancellation of the race due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina, it was later announced that he would open the season at