An inaugural mountain biking enduro event will take place in Perthshire next weekend.
Clans @ The Croft had first been scheduled for Comrie Croft near Crieff in April 2020, but did not go ahead due to the pandemic.
But on Sunday October 27 mountain bikers can now join forces as a clan, a team of three, or just forget the whole team thing and race solo.
There will be a raft of high-profile professional mountain bike racing clans, alongside dozens of amateur clans, all looking to defend the honour of their clan chief on Comrie Croft’s award-winning mountain biking trail network extending for over 21km through the beautiful Strathearn hills and woods.
For those less keen on racing, but want to be at the heart of the action, the event offers an array of volunteering opportunities, from trail building to marshalling, open to all ages and abilities.
The sum of £7500 was secured by Muckmedden Events from Rural Perth and Kinross community-led Local Development Local Action Group to stage this year’s event.
Aaron Gray of Muckemedden Events said: “We are ecstatic to receive the Community-Led Local Development funding for Clans @ The Croft.
“The grant will allow us to deliver a higher quality event experience for our enduro riders, a vital springboard for year one enabling us to develop this team enduro for future years.”
Rural Perth and Kinross Community-Led Local Development Local Action Group chairperson David Smythe added: “We are delighted to support the Clans @ The Croft project.
“The award of £7,500 towards this project is one of several benefiting from a portion of £12 million of CLLD and Scottish Government funds available for the development of rural communities and rural enterprise until March 2025 in Scotland.
“Rural Perth & Kinross have been allocated £457,250.06 to boost community involvement and empowerment.
“It is a fantastic opportunity for us all and we are pleased we have been able to support it.”
Every rider is timed on five blind stages packed with jumps, berms, roots, rock slabs, and race-only off-piste sections.
Ebikers will also get the bonus of riding the greatest Power Stage in history.
Clans combine race times with teammates to compete against other clans, and still get a solo result for their individual efforts.