THE safety of cyclists using the busy A19 has been brought to the fore after a 64-year-old man taking part in a time trial race was critically injured in a crash with a stretch limousine.

It was the second major crash involving a time trial rider on the stretch of the A19 between Northallerton and Thirsk.

In 2012, veteran cyclist Leonard Grayson, 75, was killed when an Alfa Romeo careered into him. Cyclists were banned from using the A19 around Teesside in 2015 after cyclist Christopher Griffiths was killed in another crash.

Police are appealing for witnesses following the latest crash which happened at around 5.20pm on July 30 at the junction with South Kilvington, between the A168 and the A19, near Thirsk.

The cyclist, from Leeds, was airlifted to James Cook University Hospital with life-threatening injuries. The driver of the limousine, a 27-year old man from Middlesbrough, has been helping police with enquiries.

The cyclist was taking part in a 50-mile event run by the Yorkshire Cycling Federation, which did not respond to requests for a comment.

Following the crash, there was a storm of protest on social media.

One motorist said: “I travelled this stretch of the A19, once with my nine-year-old going north. We both commented how dangerous it was as the cyclists weren’t that easy to spot, moving at the speed of a tractor but a fraction of the size with no protection but Lycra suits and hats.

“There were no signs informing drivers of a race being run. I saw one cycle almost clipped on the way north. I arrived at the scene of the collision later, shortly after it happened. Multiple vehicles had been involved.”

Others warned it was “suicide” and that it was “lucky there had only been one accident”.

But others protested: ”We have as much right to use it as a car.”

Steve Tilly, secretary of Cleveland Wheelers argued: “Given how many time trials are held each and every weekend in addition to the regular 'evening series' most clubs hold, accidents are pretty rare, especially serious ones.

"There’s an obvious knee-jerk reaction to say 'they shouldn’t be there', but if you follow that to its ultimate conclusion you’d arrive at 'they shouldn’t be anywhere' as an incident like this can happen on any road. Should a whole sport be banned because of a rare incident?”

Highways England, the Government body responsible for the road which imposed the ban around Teesside, said it is not consulted about time trials.

A spokesperson added: “The safety of everyone who uses our roads is our highest priority and although there are no current plans to extend the cycling ban on the A19 we continually review what actions we can take to continue to improve safety on our network.”