Chris Froome (Israel-Premier Tech) put out a plea on his TikTok channel after being 'doored' at the end of his Sunday training ride, asking drivers to use the so-called 'Dutch reach' to keep from injuring cyclists.
Before the incident, Froome posted a video from his ride along the Monaco coast and, later, another video of himself with a bandaged elbow in which he explained what happened.
"Yesterday I went out for a lovely Sunday ride, it was stunning - lovely weather, amazing views. Just before I got home, 500m before I got to my front door, I got doored.
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"As I was riding along, someone opened their door... right in front of me. It was literally about a metre in front of me, I didn't even make it to my brakes. I hit the door, went flying over."
He then went on to advocate for the so-called 'Dutch reach', a safer method for opening a car door from the inside that is commonly taught to drivers in Europe and has begun to be adopted in the UK after dooring fatalities.
"I have one piece of advice for anyone getting out of their vehicle. It's called the Dutch reach," Froome said.
"Instead of opening the door with the hand that's closest to the door, use your opposite hand so you naturally turn your body and that way you'll get to see if there's any traffic coming, or most importantly, any bikes coming.
"Use the Dutch reach, it's extremely helpful and causes a lot less pain to us cyclists and it's a very simple thing for you guys to do."
Froome, 37, currently has no races on his calendar after finishing the Vuelta a España. He was forced to drop out of the Tour de France after contracting COVID-19.
The winner of seven Grand Tours and four Tours de France has struggled to regain his best form after suffering serious injuries in a crash while previewing the time trial course in the 2019 Criterium du Dauphiné.
Until COVID-19 hit, Froome had been showing considerable signs of progress, placing third on the Alpe d'Huez summit finish stage of the Tour de France in his best result since his crash. It is unclear if he'll race again this season but he has a long-term contract at Israel-Premier Tech, the team he joined in 2021.
