Yates takes Dauphine lead as Froome suffers suspected broken femur

British cyclist Adam Yates took the lead of the Criterium du Dauphine on Wednesday as compatriot Chris Froome was forced to withdraw from the event with multiple injuries including a broken leg.

The stage four time-trial was won by Team Jumbo-Visma’s Wout Van Aert but Yates did enough to take the yellow jersey and move into the overall lead.

The Mitchelton-SCOTT rider has a four-second lead over Dylan Teuns heading into Thursday’s fifth stage.

But it was the news of Froome’s injuries – a fractured right femur, a fractured elbow and fractured ribs –  that dominated the day as he was taken to hospital following a crash before the start of Tuesday’s stage and will miss the Tour de France next month.

Team Ineos confirmed in a statement that the four-time Tour winner had come off his bike during a reconnaissance of the day’s ride and had withdrawn from the race before later revealing the full extent of his injuries.