CYCLING star Zach Bridges will get his road racing season under way on Sunday just a few weeks after being hit by a car while training in Newport.

The Llantarnam teenager had been due to compete on tarmac for the first time in 2018 at the prestigious Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne event in Belgium late last month.

But disaster struck as he prepared for what would have been the biggest road race of his life to date, with the youngster taken to hospital following the incident on Caerleon Road.

Thankfully no bones were broken and, despite still feeling a little sore, Bridges can now resume his riding career, one which has gone from strength to strength in recent months.

It was back in October that the Rougemont School A-level student learnt he had been selected with 24 other talented cyclists to be part of the GB Cycling Junior Academy.

Having started his winter track programme in the Dutch city of Apeldoorn in January, he went on to clinch a superb seventh place in the senior men’s race at the British Cycling National Omnium Championships in Derby.

For someone who has only just entered the junior ranks this was a sensational result, more so when you consider that many in the field are off to the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games next month.

Bridges is in Belgium this weekend for the Guido Reybrouck Classic in Damme, before taking part in the Gent-Wevelgem and Ster van Zuid-Limburg races.

“I said to Zach about resting this weekend but he wants to race,” said mum Sandy. “He’s still a little bit sore but is having physiotherapy to help with that.

“Fortunately he was fine after what happened but his bike was totally wrecked.

“It was the call I’d been dreading for the best part of three years, someone saying your son has been hit by a car.”

On his start in the GB set-up, she added: “He raced in Apeldoorn and that was really great.

“One of the phenomenal things was that the GB second squad came second in the team pursuit and they were all first-year academy juniors.

“Zach was then seventh in the British omnium championships which was fantastic.

“The academy like to encourage them to race in those sorts of events because it’s the standard you need to be at.

“He did really well and was very consistent, and all of the GB junior academy were there, and senior academy riders.”

Meanwhile, Welsh Cycling will be holding free track taster sessions at the Wales National Velodrome in Newport during the forthcoming Commonwealth Games.

Sessions are also set to take place in Carmarthen and Cardiff between April 4-15.

The Newport sessions will go ahead on the following dates: Monday, April 9 (6.30pm-8pm); Tuesday, April 10 (6.30pm-8pm); Wednesday, April 11 (2pm-3.30pm, 3.30pm-5pm and 6pm-8pm); Thursday, April 12 (2pm-3.30pm and 3.30pm-5pm); Friday, April 13 (2pm-4pm).

Participants must be aged between 10 and 16.