'Buying a bike changed my life after cancer'

Adam Froggatt, pictured with his wife and son, is now providing bikes to those with cancer as well as their family members

A man who credits cycling with helping with his cancer recovery has set up a charity donating bikes to those in similar situations.

Adam Froggatt, 31, from Plymouth, Devon, was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2017.

He said buying a used bike from eBay was the "best thing I ever did". It led him to lose weight before his operation and helped with his mental health during treatment.

"It truly changed my life," he said.

Mr Froggatt's charity, The Bike Network, was officially registered in November.

Mr Froggatt refurbishes bikes himself to suit the needs of the people he is providing them for

It was during his three-month wait for an operation to remove his tumour that Mr Froggatt turned to cycling to help lose weight to aid his recovery.

"I lost a stone (14lbs) before the operation," he said. "It was a success and I was left with no active cancer cells.

"One thing it did leave was a constant medical anxiety. I really struggled with my mental health afterwards. I was constantly worrying, checking my body.

"Cycling really helped. I was able to get out, de-stress, exercise and it's so amazing for your mental health getting out in the fresh air, releasing the endorphins to swing your mood.

"Even during treatment, sometimes the last thing you want to do is go out, but it's the best thing you can do."

"I was able to get out, de-stress [and] exercise," Mr Froggatt said

Mr Froggatt's charity fundraises to buy bikes and equipment for those affected by cancer as well as their family members.

It also relies on donations of old bikes people no longer want or use.

"I take parts of bikes and refurbish them, making sure each one is fit for each patient," Mr Froggatt said.

"We were recently contacted by a breast cancer survivor who couldn't lift her hands above her head and whose bike wouldn't fit on a normal bike rack.

"She requested a folding bike that could go straight in the boot - something we sorted for her."

Since Mr Froggatt came up with the idea during the first lockdown in 2020, he has sent bikes all over the country, from Land's End to London.