Councils have been accused of carrying out a “crude patch-up” of crumbling roads ahead of a series of high-profile international cycling races in Scotland.
August’s UCI Cycling World Championships will be the biggest event of its kind, drawing the eyes of a billion TV viewers to Scotland’s famous landscapes – and infamous potholed roads.
After outcries earlier in the year over the state of surfaces on the road race and time trial circuits, the Record can reveal an intensive repair programme, including road closures, is under way.
But cyclists have condemned the efforts as a cosmetic exercise, papering over the cracks, on dangerous roads for the good of TV cameras that will capture events involving 8000 competitors from 152 countries.
Our photographs today reveal the extensive laying of fresh tarmac on the famous Crow Road, in Lennoxtown, Stirlingshire – a highlight of the gruelling course and one of Scotland’s most popular cycling roads.
But parts of the road on the men’s road racing course remain peppered with ugly potholes.
Former professional rider Drew Wilson said he was frustrated with the late patch-up, which he said would result in many potholes remaining on parts of the course. Drew, who runs the Visual Bike Fit studio at the foot of the Crow Road, said: “This isn’t a proper fix, it’s a crude patch-up.
“It’s notable that Lennoxtown Main Street, which is on the course, is still a mess. What we are seeing is a weird tapestry of repaired tarmac, often on top of previous repairs, which will no doubt crumble again within a few years.
“Scotland is actually becoming a very attractive place to ride a bike because places like the Crow Road have spectacular, world class scenery.
“But for all the lip service, we have done little to create the kind of smooth, safe roads or the cycle lanes they have in Europe, where cycling has exploded as a result.”
The UCI event attracts the world’s best riders, including two-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar, 24, of Slovenia.
He is among the hot favourites for the men’s road race that takes in a 170-mile course between Edinburgh and Glasgow – the host city for the championships.
Drew said he spoke to the bosses of the Slovenia team a few weeks ago when they visited his shop.
He said: “They were doing a reconnaissance trip ahead of the race for Pogacar and they told me they’d never seen roads as bad as these for any world championships.
“That’s a bit of an indictment on our roads and it’s an embarrassment to Scotland.”
Drew added: “I hope the TV cameras pick up all the good bits and I hope there’s no crashes that are caused by potholes.”
The championships will run from August 3 to 13, featuring 13 UCI World Championships in a mega event in Glasgow and across Scotland. It brings together road riding, mountain biking, road cycling, velodrome, indoor cycling, and BMX and para world championship races.
Stevie Anderson, of the Glasgow Nightingale Cycling Club, welcomed any improvement but said the intensive pothole filling merely underlined the general dangerous state of the roads.
Stevie, who runs the AA Motors garage in Dalmarnock, Glasgow, said: “For Scottish riders, the potholes are so bad they get talked about more than the weather.
“Most cyclists are really looking forward to the event, which is great for Scotland, and it’s good that the Crow Road is getting a bit of a makeover.
“But there are thousands of cyclists attracted to that road and others nearby every week, so why are councils letting the roads crumble into such a dangerous state in the first place?”
Seven thousand potholes were reported to Glasgow City Council in the first two months of 2023 alone, causing the local council to double its budget for road repairs to £12million. It blamed the potholes on bad weather.
A spokesman said: “No specific funding has been set aside for road repairs ahead of our hosting of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships.
“If there is remedial carriage repair work to be carried out, or potholes identified on the route before the championships, they will be fixed as part of the council’s business as usual roads maintenance.”
Other councils were asked to comment.
Stirling Council said: “All of the routes have been surveyed and we have already started to make the improvements required to our road network to ensure the safe running of the individual time trials and road races that pass through our area.
“The improvements form part of a £7.5million programme to improve the council’s roads infrastructure over the current financial year.”
John Mitchell, Fife Council’s head of transportation, said: “All major roadworks planned for this section of the route have been completed well in advance of the road race and final minor works will be completed in July.”
Ann Davie, depute chief executive of East Dunbartonshire Council, said: “Following an initial route audit, the UCI World Cycling Championship event organisers have revisited the route and are satisfied with the road surface.”
West Dunbartonshire Council said: “Some work will take place on the race route prior to the event. However, this was already pre-planned as part of our 2023-24 planned resurfacing work and is not associated with the championship event.”
Scott Arthur of Edinburgh City Council said: “The finalised route has been inspected by our events and roads operations team and they are working together to ensure roads being used for this event will be in a suitable condition.
“This includes bringing forward work identified as part of future programmes for delivery.”
The 172-mile-long men’s race will meander from Edinburgh to Glasgow via Fife, Falkirk, Stirling and Dunbartonshire.
The women’s race will start at Loch Lomond and end in Glasgow, with both races taking in the Crow Road, which is a potentially pivotal part of the race.
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