Chris Froome (open in new tab) will not compete in Sunday's Saitama Tour de France criterium (open in new tab), as he needs time to recover from a crash in June that left him with multiple fractures.

The four-time Tour de France (open in new tab) winner is back on his bike but still walks with a limp.

Despite being an exhibition event, the Saitama Criterium was held as Froome's return to racing after a five-month break. 34-year-old Froome crashed while training on the Criterium du Dauphiné time trial course in June and suffered a right thigh bone and elbow, and fractured his vertebrae and sternum.

He still has a plate on his hip (to be removed in early November) and a bolt above his knee, but will be able to ride his bike for several weeks, albeit at low intensity.

On Friday, Froome, along with Jakob Fuglsang, Romain Bardet, and Michal Kwiatkowski, scouted the 2020 Olympic course near Tokyo in the pouring rain. On Saturday, he confirmed that he would not be running the criterium on Sunday.

"I'm basically moving my legs. But it feels really good to be out on the road and back on the bike. I haven't been able to get on the bike in the last few months," Froome said Saturday.

"At the same time, I'm not at a level where I can go back to the peloton and accelerate out of corners in the criterium. So tomorrow (Sunday - editorial), I'd like to be at the start of the team time trial with the guys, but I'm still not recovered to a level where I can get back into the race."

"I'm still not at a level where I can get back into the race," he said.

Nevertheless, Froome has returned to the world of professional cycling after being forced to watch this season unfold from afar.

"It's cool to be back in the cycling bubble again, It's really cool to be back in the cycling bubble," said Froome.

"It's not the same watching from behind a screen. This isn't a proper race, but it's cool to be with the riders again and get back into the swing of things. I've been able to focus on my recovery and that's all I've been doing for the last few months. I'm happy to be integrated into the cycling world right now."