The thunking crunch of genitals on top tube is more likely to send young Americans to hospital than hitting the road, a new study has found.
According to the University of California study, about 4,000 people a year were admitted to 100 US hospitals between 2002 and 2012 with genital or kidney-related issues. And young children – boys especially – outnumbered adults by 10 to one.
About 70 percent of the injuries resulted from 'direct contact with the bike' – which usually meant an agonising slam with the top tube and not the ground.
Dr Benjamin Breyer, who co-authored the study told Reuters: "We were surprised that there were so many injuries related to bike riding."
Most of the injuries investigated in the study were deemed minor, and the researchers said cycling's health benefits still vastly outweighed the drawbacks.
It does raise the intriguing question of whether cyclists, particularly young lads, should wear a jockstrap or cricket style box. Either that or buy a Caminade Route 66.