Triathlete reunited with bike missing at Heathrow Airport

Sian Hurley said she was thrilled to collect her bike from Newcastle Airport after it was stuck at Heathrow for a week

A triathlete whose bike went missing in transit at Heathrow has been reunited with it, days before an Ironman event.

Sian Hurley originally from Morpeth, flew from Brisbane, Australia, to Newcastle upon Tyne with her family - via London - on 20 June.

While the luggage made the connection, the bike went missing at Heathrow's Terminal 2 for a week.

It arrived at Newcastle Airport just in time for the event Ms Hurley has spent a year training for.

Sian said the return of her bike was very welcome ahead of the Ironman UK event on 3 July

Ms Hurley said: "It's brilliant to have my bike returned, I've been out this morning and being back on it was like putting on my shoes.

"The staff at Newcastle Airport were lovely, I got reassurances that BA were sorting it and while it's very disappointing it took so long to get it back I'm very glad to have it."

The bike has arrived days before the 40-year-old travels to Bolton to compete in the Ironman UK competition, which will see her swim 2.4 miles, cycle 112 miles and run a marathon.

'Stress hasn't helped'

The mother of two has spent the past 12 months training for the event at home in Brisbane where she works full time as an intensive care nurse.

She said her regime changed daily, but included 3km swims, cycling for up to four fours and running for two hours.

"I feel fresh and good ahead of the event but the stress hasn't helped," she said.

"A friend loaned me a bike to train on while I was staying in Morpeth and although I'm grateful, it wasn't the same as my bike which was specially fitted for me. But now I've got it back I'm feeling positive and relieved."

Ms Hurley competed at the Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii in 2014

British Airways staff located the bike at Heathrow's Terminal 2 on Monday and put it on a flight to Newcastle.

A technical malfunction at the terminal on 17 June had led to hundreds of bags piling up at Heathrow.

Ms Hurley, who had tagged her bike, knew it was among the pile of luggage but was unable to find anyone to speak to about how to get it returned.

She said: "That was the most frustrating part - I couldn't get to talk to anyone at Heathrow's baggage hall, every time I called I got put through to a customer centre which was miles away from the airport.

"I still haven't spoken to anyone at BA or Malaysia Airlines - the first I knew about it was returning to my family home in Morpeth after a few hours out and - seeing my mum crying - I knew then my bike had been found."

Ms Hurley said she was hoping for a top-five finish in her age category.

She took part in the same challenge in 2013 when she was placed fastest in her age for cycling.

She has previously competed in six Ironman events in the past, including the World Championships in Hawaii in 2014, and set herself the goal of doing another after having her daughters, to be a role-model for them.