Chris Froome has avoided any fractures after undergoing scans in hospital following a major crash on day one of the Tour de France which has left his chances in limbo.

The four-time Tour de France winner was caught up in the second major crash on the opening stage to Landerneau, occurring with 7.6km to go in the 197km stage.

Froome received help from medical staff initially and appeared to struggle to stand. He got back on his bike to finish the stage but was taken to hospital for further examinations.

The 36-year-old took to Twitter afterwards to confirm he had been cleared of serious injury but was sore and uncertain if he will continue in the event.

"No fractures thankfully but there’s a lot of swelling & bruising to my left leg and thorax," Froome wrote.

"I’m going to try get a good night’s rest & see how things look in the morning before making any decisions with the medical team. Thanks for the many messages of support X."

Froome crossed the line in 171st place, almost 15 minutes behind the stage winner Julian Alaphilippe.

The 36-year-old is making his first Tour appearance since 2018, having missed out in 2019 after a serious crash during a time trial when previewing the course.

He suffered a double femur fracture to his right leg, multiple other fractures and a collapsed lung in the incident and did not recover enough form in time for the 2020 Tour.