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After a long hiatus, racers made a welcome return between the tapes with the UCI World Championships in Leogang and the UCI World

Cup in Nové Mĕsto and Maribor. And what a feast of racing it was, with young phenom, Tom Pidcock, winning two gold medals in the

XC; Scot Reece Wilson bagging the rainbow jersey in the men’s DH; and Isla Short and Evie Richards both taking strong results in the women’s XC and Short Track events. But one of the most emotional moments for both fans and racers alike was the return of Brook Macdonald to top-flight competition after breaking his back last year.

“I was hoping you wouldn’t come down here,” Mike says with a grin.

“None of these bikes are scrap, they’re all salvageable but they need a lot of work before they can go out again, and my grandkids’ pump track needs some work too.”

He’s not selling these bikes though, this is no business, instead they’re all destined for people who desperately need them but can’t afford the outlay – local kids without means, essential workers for the NHS, those with special educational needs, and individuals down on their luck. What started with one bike bought and salvaged for £2.50 has turned into one of South Wales’s biggest bike charity schemes.