Sheffield woman’s tandem bike ride challenge after baby loss

A woman whose baby died days before she was due to give birth is cycling 180 miles on a tandem bike with her brother to raise money for charity.

Abigail Riley, from Sheffield, lost her baby, Stanley, at 39 weeks of pregnancy, and was diagnosed with eye cancer five months later.

She will be riding coast-to-coast from Ravenglass to Tynemouth over three days on the 50-year-old bike with her brother, Ben, to raise money for baby loss charity Tommy’s and Sheffield Hospitals Charity.

Abigail said: “I just hope that if anybody else is suffering with any sort of grief or any traumatic events in their life, they might hear this story and think: we can keep going.”

In June 2024, Abigail was days away from giving birth when Stanley’s heart stopped beating. No reason has been found for the death of her and her partner Joe Tyrell’s son.

“What has happened with losing Stanley has been absolutely soul destroying,” Abigail said.

Later that year, in November, Abigail was diagnosed with cancer in her left eye.

She said: “There are some days where I don’t want to get out of bed, but, overall, I think to myself, you have a choice and when you’re feeling totally powerless, ultimately, the power lies within you.

“One thing it has definitely taught me is to live in the present and to enjoy the moment because, after Stanley died, it brings it to the forefront of your mind that tomorrow isn’t promised.

“Enjoy the people who are in your life and find reasons to smile every day because you’ve just got to keep going.”

Having already raised £23,000 for charity, Abigail’s brother, Ben, jokingly suggested they ride a tandem bike from one side of the country to the other – a challenge she accepted.

The pair set off from Ravenglass, a coastal village in west Cumbria, on Friday.

Ben said the bike was “horrendous” to ride because of its limited gears and “shocking” brakes.

“But it’s helped that we get Abigail out and about and helped get her fitness up,” he added.

“You can have a good chat on the tandem and put the world to rights.”

Abigail and Ben aim to arrive in Tynemouth, in North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, on Sunday.

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