Cambridgeshire cycling event called off over pothole fears

Roads are too dangerous for a cycling event to go ahead, organisers say

A popular cycling event has been cancelled because of the "grave state of many roads on the course route".

The Strawberry Community Cycle Event, organised by Histon and Impington Bicycle Club usually takes place in Cambridgeshire in September.

It was called off over fears participants could be injured because of the number of potholes on the route.

Cambridgeshire County Council said it was "constantly working to repair potholes and keep... roads safe".

The annual cycling event has been running since 2015 and attracts up to 400 people each year.

It offers participants four routes ranging from seven miles (11km) to 55 miles (88km).

However, Chris Davie, secretary of club that organises it, said the roads around the villages and the course were "full of potholes and very dangerous to cycle through".

He said it was "one of the reasons we've had to cancel the strawberry event - because it's just too dangerous for families and cyclists to ride the route".

Bicycle club secretary Chris Davie said cyclists "take their lives in their hands" on some of the roads in the area

He described the annual route as "a fantastic social event bringing the local villages together".

"Everyone loves it and they're really disappointed we've had to cancel it this year," Mr Davie said.

"The state of the roads is just too dangerous.

"It's about protecting the safety of families and cyclists, and with the potholes you can easily come off, break a bike, damage yourself as well as getting in the way of other traffic by trying to avoid potholes."

He said safety was the "prime concern" of the organisers - "and with that being the case, we just can't run the event this year".

Speaking about potholes in the road, he said: "It's very dangerous - you sometimes take your life in your hands - and I'm an accomplished cyclist."

He recognised that "the local council have done what they can to fix what they can".

However, he added: "But it's really like dentistry - unless you maintain it continually you end up with these deep cavities in the road that need a patchwork quilt trying to fix them, and that's just not an adequate solution."

A spokesman for the county council said it was sorry organisers had "chosen to cancel the event", adding: "We have worked very successfully with [them] over a number of years.

"However, we are dealing with a large number of potholes across the county and cannot unfortunately focus all our resources on a single event.

"We are constantly working to repair potholes and keep Cambridgeshire's roads safe for all - we fixed 45,000 potholes last year alone - but resources are a constant challenge."

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