Excitement is mounting over a major ladies-only cycling event.
In just four weeks, Scone Palace will become the first Scottish venue for Cycletta.
Backed by Olympic medallist Victoria Pendleton, the series aims to get women back on their bikes and enjoying the outdoors.
It will also help put Perthshire firmly on the map as a cyclist’s haven, as the area already plays host to the Etape Caledonia, the Highland Perthshire Cycling Festival and Sportive Kinross.
Although Scone Palace is the traditional crowning place of kings, it could welcome one of the queens of British cycling.
Pendleton, who won gold and silver medals at London 2012, has pledged to take part in as many of the Cycletta events as possible, so could be coming to Perthshire next month, although this has yet to be confirmed.
Also rumoured to be taking part is former Spice Girl Melanie Chisholm.
She has urged other women to take part in the series, which is run by Human Race.
Marketing director of Perth store McEwens, Georgina Bullough, has already signed up and will be raising funds for the event’s partner charity Macmillan Cancer Support.
She said: “We are all very excited to be supporting Cycletta’s first ever event in Scotland and are so pleased it is taking place at Scone Palace on the fabulous grounds of my ancestral family home.
“I’ve cycled around them many times as a young girl and it’s fantastic that Cycletta is making it possible for so many ladies to enjoy cycling in a safe environment as part of a bigger event and raise some money for a very worthwhile charity.”
Cycletta Scotland is open to women of all ages and abilities, with distances starting from just 20km for beginners, to 82km for more confident cyclists.
Girls aged between 12 and 16 years can also take part in the main event when accompanied by an adult, while younger children are invited to participate in the Scootathlon, a mini fun triathlon where they can use scooters, bikes, or even run a short distance.
For more information on the event, go online to www.cycletta.co.uk.