"Cyclists again, they've even left their bumper behind"; Ineos Grenadiers' Dani Martínez flies past traffic at 90km/h in Colombia; NINE summit finishes, Angliru + Tourmalet — brutal Vuelta route announced; Sweaty turbo + more on the live blog

If you've been reading the live blog for a while you'll be well aware of our regular 'but cyclists' feature. Normally accompanied by a video or photo like today's...

Cyclist again, they’ve even left their bumper behind …

How the fuck and what speed on a 20mph road were they doing. 🤬 pic.twitter.com/Ibjoda8QlD

— Urban_Manc (@MancUrban) January 10, 2023

Or Friday's...

A house has collapsed after being struck by a vehicle in Ashton under Lyne, Gtr Manchester on the evening of 5 January. Whilst no casualties have been reported, it’s the 2nd time in a matter of months that the property has been struck @StellaPicsLtd #emergency #crash #collapse pic.twitter.com/9P540o52V7

— Matt Wilkinson (@wilkinsonphoto) January 6, 2023

It's not meant to be a point-scoring us vs them exercise by the way, just a reminder for the next time your mate down the pub, anonymous stranger on the internet or Daily Mail columnist tries to suggest that cyclists are a major danger on the roads.

That's why we say 'but cyclists' as this is usually the phrase you'll hear followed by something about red light jumping or some other supposed danger to other road users.

The facts are, as per the Department for Transport's Reported road casualties Great Britain for 2021, cyclists are far less of a danger to pedestrians than many other road users...

But cyclists run red lights...

The https://t.co/vVgfyt8IYK Recommends awards 2022/23 start on Monday - we'll reveal which of the hundreds of bikes, components, accessories & items of clothing we've reviewed over the past year are the absolute best. Here's what you can expect https://t.co/zc8hcaQA62 #cycling pic.twitter.com/Z5lkL78hhA

— road.cc (@roadcc) January 11, 2023

> Starting next week: road.cc Recommends awards 2022/23 

A new medical study has deemed the scale of injuries to Dublin cyclists caused by the Luas line tram tracks to be a "significant public health issue". Independent.ie reports the review, published in the Irish Journal of Medical Science, into emergency department admissions over a two-year period found that 48 patients had suffered injuries after their bicycle got trapped in the city's on-road tracks.

The Luas tracks near College green were described as a "black spot" and accounted for 46 per cent of all incidents. Of the injuries reported, 60 per cent were a limb fracture, 14 per cent of which required othopaedic surgery.

Injuries to the shoulder (possibly collarbone related), hand and elbow were the most common and more than half of incidents happened during morning and evening commuting hours.

One of the authors, Olivia Smith, concluded the study "demonstrates that cycling in and around tram track lines or crossing tram track lines in Dublin city has inherent dangers".

BLOG | NEWS Update on CYCLING INCIDENTS caused by the #Edinburgh tram tracks and #compensation claims against @Edinburgh_CC Take note of the four main trouble spots. #WeCycleToohttps://t.co/Hq99HiFMxX pic.twitter.com/jb27BEc2lR

— Cycle Law Scotland (@law_cycle) January 6, 2023

 A blog from Cycle Law Scotland this week also highlighted the continued dangers reported in Edinburgh, noting four successfully settled cases against The City of Edinburgh Council.

"All four cases involved cyclists who fell from their bicycles and sustained injury as a result of their wheel(s) becoming either stuck or slipping on the tram tracks at different locations within Edinburgh City Centre," the blog explained.

"A takeaway from the recently settled cases is that settlement is being agreed without the need for the case to be heard at Proof in Court. However, whilst offers are being made and settlements are being reached, liability is still being denied. Each case continues to be looked at on an individual basis once the case is raised in Court."

In September we reported the figures that 422 cyclists had fallen on the Scottish capital's tram lines since 2012 as a local cycling group claimed that safety improvements have come "slowly and too late".

During the same time more than £1.2 million had been paid out in compensation by the city's council in relation to the injuries.

Merlier looking at the #LaVuelta23 route. pic.twitter.com/XIOPHZlDQ2

— Benji Naesen (@BenjiNaesen) January 10, 2023

We're looking forward to more of this in 2023... 

Rendel Harris: "Should make for a great race. Maybe I'm getting old (no maybe about it) and conservative (small c!) but I still feel that the classic climbs for each Grand Tour ought to be kept for those tours, I don't really want to see the Vuelta on the Tourmalet any more than the Giro on the Alpe or the Tour on the Stelvio, just feels as though it removes a bit of the special aura they have, as if we played the Ashes or held the Olympics every single year...won't stop me being glued to it come September, obviously!"

thisismyusername: "2023 is not a year for the sprinters!"

Patrick9-32: "I have long been of the opinion that mountain stages without summit finishes don't make for good racing. There is no point in the pure climbers attacking on the climbs as the bigger guys catch back up on the descent and there is no way for the big descenders to drop the pure climbers on the way up so its rare you get a real banger of a stage. It happens, but its rare. Summit finishes almost always have huge drama."

ShutTheFrontDawes: "I'm pretty disappointed in the increasing trend of grand tours having more hilly stages (both in number and severity)."

thisismyusername: "Completely agree — I was thinking about this the other day, sprinters are being taken out of the picture more — I don't want to see a cycling world where sprinters are more or less non-existent due to lack of opportunity, as it will exclude some great riders. 

"There seems to be more of a place at the moment for the Mads Pedersens of the world, where they are good enough to get through the climbs to have a shot at sprinting for a win, but not quite good enough to win on a pure sprint or climbing stage."

Alas, life's not fair and you can't have it all. No sign of the Miserat which I got very excited about last month...

> "Brutal" new 20% monster climb rumoured for next year's Vuelta a España

Oh, and if the Tourmalet's not enough for you, Pyrenees Cycling pointed out you can go even higher. Perhaps bring a gravel bike though...

Who wants to go higher than Tourmalet? You can take the unpaved road from the top of Tourmalet to the top of Pic du Midi 2872m. An amazing road that takes you through a beautifully raw landscape, with fab switchbacks & spectacular cliff edges to add to the drama!#cycling #bike pic.twitter.com/22opRPMfj1

— Pyrenees Cycling Lodge (@CyclingLodge) January 10, 2023