Police have carried out a review after safety concerns about a major cycling event on part of the North Coast 500 were raised.
The Bealach Mor sportive will see around 220 cyclists tackle a gruelling 90-mile stretch across Wester Ross.
Around 10 miles of the route is on a single-track road closed to traffic.
The remaining 80 takes place on the A890 and A896, where riders share the road with cars and motorhomes.
After a huge influx of visitors to the area because of the NC500, Torridon and Kinlochewe community councillor Tom Forrest is asking for rolling road closures for vehicles while the event is taking place.
His views prompted police to examine the details.
But officers have decided they are happy for the event to go forward on September 11 as originally planned.
What are the concerns?
The first Bealach Mor took place in 2006 and it has run most years since then, with as many as 500 cyclists taking part in some years.
Mr Forrest said: “The roads are 10 times busier than they were when it first started. It rings alarm bells with me that hundreds of cyclists will be charging towards cars on single-track roads.
“It’s an accident waiting to happen. But if police put in rolling road closures that tragic circumstance could be avoided.”
Mr Forrest was involved in a crash with a cyclist while driving near his home during the same event in 2018.
He was arrested and breathalysed but the case was dropped when dashcam footage proved he was not at fault.
Mr Forrest added: “I don’t want to see the event stopped. I just want it to be run in a safe manner for everyone concerned.”
‘It’s something we should all be concerned about’
Torridon resident Caroline Hamilton has also raised concerns about the event.
She said: “I’m a cyclist and this is a difficult road to cycle on.
“There is so much traffic, you feel as if they are pushing you off the side sometimes.
“If there are hundreds of cyclists, that’s an enormous number. It’s something we should all be concerned about.”
Neil Greig, policy and research director with the road safety charity IAM Roadsmart, was surprised to learn cyclists would be sharing the road with cars during the event.
Particularly given the explosion in popularity of the NC500.
He added: “If cars or motorbikes had been doing the same thing there would have been an expectation of large-scale marshalling, council signposting and police involvement.
“The NC500 is already a magnet for unofficial record-breakers in an assortment of vehicles.”
The police’s response to the Bealach Mor event
Police Scotland carried out a safety review in response to Mr Forrest’s concerns.
Officers are satisfied for the race to take place as planned next weekend.
Chief superintendent Conrad Trickett said aside from the 2018 accident involving Mr Forrest, no other incidents during previous races had been reported.
He added: “The divisional planning team have carried out a review and engaged with all key stakeholders.
“As a result of these discussions, certain sections of the road will be closed during the event.
“Road marshals will be briefed and in place, all of which will enhance road safety.”
The section of the road that will be closed refers to the 10 mile section near Applecross.
The rest of the route will be open to traffic as normal.
What do the Bealach Mor organisers say?
The event’s most notable stretch is up the Bealach na Ba, a notorious climb comparable to some of Europe’s great Alpine passes.
The six mile section rises to a height of more than 2,000ft.
Bealach Mor co-organiser Linda Lawton said there are always discussions with police and local communities before the event.
Mrs Lawton also stressed that the event is a sportive, not a race.
She added: “The roads are busier now but we don’t do this at the height of summer.
“The riders are not all setting off at the same time, they’re staggered over a half-hour window.
“That means they’re quite well spread and it allow for cars passing. It’s always worked out quite well.”