Endurance testfor Perthshire

Hardy cyclists in Perthshire will have the opportunity to take on a monumental race around the region this summer alongside one of the world’s best known faces in cycling.

The Tayside Challenge, organised by the Rotary Club of Kinnoull, will see hundreds of cyclists tour Perthshire while raising money for charity.

Speaking to the Perthshire Advertiser, organiser Stephen Blackett said:“This is our fourth year and we’re trying to make it even bigger again.

“There are two courses, an 81-mile one and a shorter 46-mile one.

The longer route starts at Pitcairngreen and travels the back roads through Moneydie, Glenalmond, Bankfoot, Birnam, Dunkeld, Ballinluig, Weem, Fortingall, Kenmore and down to Amulree, the Sma’Glen, and back to Glenalmond before finishing in Pitcairngreen, the same as before.

“The shorter route cuts across from Dunkeld to Amulree and follows the same route after that.

“Just now, we’ve had 120 people sign up which is massive . It took until the end of March to do that last year. We had 238 from all over Scotland in 2017 – 500 is the target this year.

“Currently, around 80 per cent of people have signed up for the longer route, which is up on about 65 per cent last year.

“We contacted Mark Beaumont and asked if he’d like to support the event and, amazingly, he was really keen to help! He’s seeing groups across the start line and then taking on the challenge himself, speaking to people along the way.

“The only cost for us is the timing chips that every cyclist gets on their helmet. Everything else is provided by the community. After the cost of the chips has been covered, all the money raised is split between the Rotary Club and Malawi Fruits, a sustainable charity that supports farmers in Africa.”

The event takes place on Saturday, May 5. You can sign up via Entry Central. Entry costs £35 and at least £25 goes to charity.