The quality of the road surfaces does not need to be perfect but must be deemed safe by the event organisers London Marathon Events (LME). LME is working closely with all highways authorities to ensure that their annual maintenance works are timed to ensure that the routes’ road surfaces are appropriate for the events.

Highway authorities’ ongoing highway maintenance activities will ensure the Ford RideLondon-Essex routes are repaired to the required standard, with LME funding any repairs which are required over and above the usual highway authority standard of repairs.

Essex County Council will undertake its regular summer carriageway surface dressing programme across parts of the road network, some of which may coincide with the Ford RideLondon-Essex 100 route. This surface dressing usually takes a few days to settle and where any roads on the route have been surface dressed, these will be swept in the lead-up to the event to ensure the route is in a suitable condition, by removing the excess chippings and gravel – especially on corners.