Six-time Olympic gold medallist Sir Chris Hoy has taken part in a mass cycle event in his home city.
The cyclist, Britain's most successful Olympian, was joined by radio presenter Edith Bowman at Sky Ride Edinburgh.
It marked the 14th event of Sky Ride 2012, a national campaign to get one million more people cycling regularly by 2013. Organisers said around 10,000 people took to traffic-free streets to explore the capital, with many more coming out to watch.
The event allowed participants to enjoy the 10km route at their own pace whilst taking in some of the city's famous landmarks including the Scottish Parliament, Holyrood Palace and Arthur's Seat. It was hosted by British Cycling, Scottish Cycling and Sky, in partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council.
Sir Chris said: "It was fantastic being here in Edinburgh for Sky Ride today and great to see so many people in my home town riding their bikes and enjoying a really good day out. It's been an exciting summer for British Cycling and it's great to see that initiatives like Sky Ride are giving people an opportunity to get on their bikes and be inspired to cycle more regularly."
Sky Ride ambassador Ms Bowman said: "I had a brilliant time at Sky Ride Edinburgh today. It was wonderful to see friends and families out on their bikes and getting involved in all the activities along the way. Thank you to everyone who joined in, I hope you have experienced just how much fun cycling can be."
Edinburgh City Council's festival and events champion Steve Cardownie said: "Given the many cycling successes at London 2012, today was the perfect time for us to be hosting the Sky Ride here in Edinburgh and I'm delighted that our residents got involved in their thousands to make the event such a huge success.
"It was fantastic that our double-gold medal hero, Sir Chris Hoy, came home to join in the event and it was my great pleasure to introduce him to the crowd in Holyrood Park."
Sir Chris will be awarded freedom of the city of Edinburgh at a ceremony next Sunday. It will make him one of the few living recipients of the award which is also held by the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, Sir Sean Connery, Nelson Mandela and Burmese democracy campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi.
On the same day, thousands of people are expected to welcome back Edinburgh's Olympians and Paralympians, as they travel through the city on an open-top bus. The official victory parade for Scotland's Olympic heroes will be held on Friday in Glasgow, the host city for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
