Froome defended his Tour de France title by winning the 2016 race 
 
 Three-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome claims he was "rammed" by a car driver while out training in southern France - but says he "wasn't hurt". 
 
 The Briton, who rides for Team Sky, posted a picture on Twitter of his damaged bike and reported the incident to local police. 
 
 "Just got rammed on purpose by an impatient driver who followed me onto the pavement!" the 31-year-old wrote. 
 
 "Thankfully I'm okay. Bike totalled. Driver kept going!" 
 
 The picture Froome posted was geotagged from Beausoleil in France, which is near his Monaco home. 
 
 Froome is not taking part in the current Giro d'Italia but is likely to race in June's traditional week-long Tour de France warm-up event, the Criterium du Dauphine, which he has won three times. 
 
 This year's Tour de France takes place from 1-23 July and Froome will be aiming to win the event for a fourth time and third in a row. 
 
 The incident follows the death of Italian cyclist Michele Scarponi after he was involved in a collision with a van during a training ride in April. 

 • Three time Tour champion posts picture of damaged bike on Twitter • Froome in training for next month’s Critérium du Dauphiné 
 
 Chris Froome has said he was deliberately knocked off his bike by a hit-and-run driver while training in southern France. 
 
 The three-time Tour de France winner posted a picture of his broken bike on Twitter but said he was not hurt in the incident. 
 
 The Team Sky rider wrote: “Just got rammed on purpose by an impatient driver who followed me onto the pavement! Thankfully I’m okay. Bike totaled. Driver kept going!” 
 
 Chris Froome (@chrisfroome) Just got rammed on purpose by an impatient driver who followed me onto the pavement! Thankfully I'm okay 🙏 Bike totaled. Driver kept going! pic.twitter.com/o7FT4iXsAo 
 
 The picture was geotagged from Beausoleil in France, close to Froome’s home in Monaco. His Pinarello Dogma F10 bike appeared to be damaged beyond repair. 
 
 Team Sky said the 31-year-old had returned home to get a spare bike and had continued his training after the incident, which will be reported to the police. 
 
 Giro d’Italia: Jan Polanc holds off challengers to win stage four Read more 
 
 Last month, 2011 Giro d’Italia winner Michele Scarponi of the Astana team was killed when he was knocked off his bike by a van while training close to home in Italy. Scarponi had been preparing for this year’s Giro, where the Mortirolo climb has now been named in his honour. 
 
 Also last month, Wanty-Groupe Gobert rider Yoann Offredo posted pictures on social media of himself badly bloodied, saying he had been the victim of an assault while out riding with two friends in the Chevreuse Valley, south west of Paris. 
 
 Froome’s Team Sky team-mate Geraint Thomas, who is competing at the Giro d’Italia, told cyclingweekly.com: “It’s a reminder, it shows how dangerous it can be. I only saw it five minutes before getting off the bus. It didn’t look good at all. I’ll speak to him later today.” 
 
 Spanish rider Mikel Landa, who is also riding at the Giro for Team Sky, added: “You can’t always be scared when you are riding on the roads, but with the situation like you see today with Froome, you think a lot about how we are at risk on the road. I had goose bumps (seeing the photograph). I thought about Scarponi. In an accident, we are always going to be the one who’s worse off.” 
 
 Froome is preparing for this year’s Tour, where he will be seeking a fourth title in five years and third in a row. He finished 18th in the Tour de Romandie in Switzerland at the end of last month, and his next race is expected to be the Critérium du Dauphiné – a race he won ahead of each of his Tour victories in 2013, 2015 and 2016 – at the start of June. The Tour de France starts in Düsseldorf on 1 July.
– Chris Froome will be aiming for his fourth Tour de France victory—and his third in a row—when the famous race kicks off in July. But he was almost pushed to the sidelines. The British cyclist, currently one of the best in the world, says a motorist deliberately struck him as he was riding his bike in southern France on Tuesday, the BBC reports. Froome says he was "rammed on purpose by an impatient driver" who followed him in Beausoleil, then fled the scene. Froome, the three-time winner of the Criterium du Dauphine race for which he was training, says he was unhurt but his bike was totaled. His team tells the Guardian the 31-year-old grabbed a spare bike and continued training after the crash, which will be reported to police.