Sportive forced to relocate due to “dangerous” roads which have led to cyclist injuries… but council classifies the roads as “low-risk”

A beloved Scottish sportive which has been held in and around Aberdeenshire for more than a decade has been forced to leave due to the state of the roads which have caused several injuries to cyclists in the past, however, the council has the roads classified as "low-risk", and has even refused the organiser to fix the roads himself.

Ride the North is an annual "cycling festival" which brings cyclists to the north-east from not just all over the UK, but even countries such as Germany, Netherlands and Slovenia. More than 1,400 cyclists took part in this year's event and it has raised £2.2m for charity since its inception in 2011.

However, the organisers have been forced to relocate the sportive for 2024 citing poor conditions of the road and a lack of support from the council.

Speaking to the Press and Journal, race director Neil Innes said: "I would still like to run an event in the north-east, as it’s my home and I am passionate about it. But that would need someone to address the concerns which have led to this decision. And it does not seem that will happen. I feel cut off."

Despite Innes' efforts to continue the event in Aberdeen and hoping to collaborate with the council, the communication breakdown led him to take the decision to move the event down south to Angus, which was also host to the UCI time trial World Championships in August this year.

"There was virtually no communication and I found it impossible to do my job professionally to my own satisfaction," he said.

> Pothole and loose gravel danger leaves sportive organiser frustrated as council refuses to let him repair route defects

In the past two iterations of the sportive, there had been incidents which caused injuries to the cyclists, and Innes said that both were due to infrastructure failures including skittery road surfaces that had been known to the council and if fixed, completely avoidable.

Innes added: "I have red lines on road safety that I have failed to persuade the council on. Both falls were caused by defects that were known and not addressed.

"I decided I needed to be stronger, to convince local authorities in the logic of sweeping the roads in the dangerous parts. I don’t expect perfection but it was impossible to class the 2023 roads as ‘low risk’."

Innes finally decided to take matters into his own hands, offering the council to sweep the problematic gravel patches himself, but he was told that he would be breaking the law.

The road to this year's Ride the North was not smooth as well, as Innes had to fight the council to get the roads after defects like potholes and loose gravel left him frustrated.

Just two months before the event this year, Innes was afraid that he wouldn't be able to put the ride on with the roads "in that condition" and covered with "all sorts of mess", including potholes, loose gravel, stones and surface dressing.

"The issue isn't really about potholes but much more about countryside roads that are covered in all sorts of mess, some of which can be potholes," Innes told road.cc. "More stones, gravel, surface dressing. These things are really dangerous for cyclists but as they are not potholes they don't merit the attention of the local authority."

"As a last resort" Innes suggested he could "fix the worst of this rather than either risk the welfare of cyclists or have to cancel the event". 

However, he was denied permission back then as well. He explained: "The Local Authority has denied me permission… it has told me that it's not legal for me to sweep stones off its roads. I have applied for permission to maintain the roads for them. It has not responded."

> "Embarrassing and dangerous": Cyclists' disbelief at road resurfaced with sea of loose chippings

A few days later, the state of Aberdeenshire roads was put in the spotlight once again after a video of a "road newly reopened with brand new surface" did the rounds on social media, showing a deep loose chipping surface, branded as "embarrassing and dangerous".

When Innes went to the site to have a look at the "newly surfaced" road, he was left in disbelief at the state of one of his local roads, saying he is seemingly "at odds with" the authorities over "what constitutes a safe road surface".

From the concerned cyclists joining the conversation on social media, many had experienced similar on their home roads, perhaps not to the same extent, with some suggesting it is likely the council will return to sweep excess in the coming days.

One reply to Ride the North's posts called the surface "shocking and lethal", while another said it was "crazy, dangerous, cheap, disgraceful", a third adding "embarrassing and dangerous".

An @Aberdeenshire road newly reopened with brand new surface.

I've genuinely never seen anything quite like it. pic.twitter.com/W973IiZDKL

— ride the north 🚴🏻‍♀️🚴🚴‍♂️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 (@ride_the_north) July 10, 2023

Philip McKay, Aberdeenshire Council's head of Roads and infrastructure, said: "Ride the North has become a popular cycling event which not only attracts local riders but also those from further afield which has helped to put Aberdeenshire on the active travel and sporting maps.

"As with any proposed event on the roads network, we work with organisers to ensure activities can be delivered safely. We have liaised with organisers of Ride the North in recent years, looking at various aspects ranging from appropriate signage to the preparation and sweeping of roads ahead of the event.

"While it is the case that there are defects on our network, it is also the case that Aberdeenshire’s roads are routinely placed in the top two or three in the annual independent Scottish Road Maintenance Condition Survey."

He added that the local authority would be "happy" to continue talks on Ride the North making a return to Aberdeenshire.

Meanwhile, Angus Council’s tourism and active travel spokeswoman Serena Cowdy said that she was "delighted" Ride the North was coming to the county after the UCI time trial championships.

Mr Innes said: "The event would have come to Angus before now, as it is one of Scotland’s best areas for cycling and its heritage as Scotland’s birthplace adds new and exciting sites for next year’s route."

"It is a shame that my aspirations and those of Aberdeenshire Council don’t quite match. But I don’t have a feud with anyone and I still hope I can return to the north-east in the future if my concerns are addressed."