Music played and hearts started pumping before sunrise as the group starting riding to fundraise for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) in memory of baby Bella.

Since losing her little girl just three weeks after she was born earlier this year, Ms Tuddenham has channelled her grief into raising awareness of the condition she had no prior knowledge of, lobbying governments for action and trying to save other little lives.

The condition is the leading genetic cause of death for children aged under two in Australia, with one in every 35 people carrying the altered gene which causes it.

After so unexpectedly losing her baby to SMA after a healthy pregnancy, Ms Tuddenham has hosted two fundraising events this year to donate to scientific research and to support other families impacted by the condition.

The first was hosted in August, with $28,000 raised. Yet wanting to do more, Ms Tuddenham organised Ride for Bella at her business, Hot Temple, on Saturday.

See the photo gallery from the event here.

The endurance challenge saw dozens of riders put their training to the test as they kept their bike pedals moving from 5am until 5pm.

Among the riders were 21 people who completed the 12-hour challenge on their own, while there were also teams consisting of several riders who switched places throughout the day. In all, there were 50 bikes spinning at all times.

"It was definitely challenging for the 12-hour riders. A few were battling their way through but they all got there," Ms Tuddenham said. "The teams were all racing each other to see who could get the best results."

Prizes were given out every hour to help maintain momentum, while families and friends gathered around to cheer riders on.

"It was a great day, it was heaps of fun and the weather was awesome too. It was a really good atmosphere and an absolute ripper for our first one."

Riders were motivated to continue pushing themselves after hearing the stories of families living with a child with SMA.

Ms Tuddenham has donated thousands of dollars from her fundraising activities to seven such families throughout the year, and they each shared their stories and how they had spent the money in videos throughout the rideathon.

Information about SMA was also shared throughout the day, in a bid to raise awareness.

"Hopefully everyone learned a bit and we have made some change."

While "overwhelmed by the support" and hailing the event a "really, really big success", it was also an emotional day for Ms Tuddenham and her family.

This emotion was heightened when riders were brought to the front to express why they were participating, with some bringing her to tears.

Some people told the event they had lost a loved one to SMA, while others said they had participated to support the cause.

"They said they were grateful for their families and their health and wanted to help in a small way to give back," Ms Tuddenham said.

"Other people said they had seen our pain and our hurt and never want to see anyone go through it again. It was really beautiful.

"Everyone had a bigger purpose than themselves and that's what got a lot of people through the day."

RELATED COVERAGE: Community gears up to ride for Bella

RELATED COVERAGE: Mum's push to introduce more testing in memory of her daughter Bella

The fundraising tally was sitting at around $60,000 ahead of the event, but was boosted to $75,000 by the end of the day.

While the last big fundraiser for the year, Ms Tuddenham vowed to continue fundraising for the cause next year and to make Ride For Bella even "bigger and better" in future.

As well as raising awareness of the condition and raising funds, Ms Tuddenham has advocated for more widespread awareness of the simple genetic testing options available prior to or in early pregnancy.

She has also lobbied the state government to test for SMA through the Newborn Bloodspot Screening (NBS) test, or heel prick test, which is already offered for all newborns in Australia.

Though while other states do, Victoria does not test for SMA through the test.

"If we can help with that awareness and push the government to start offering testing, this can be prevented for other families."

While there is no cure, early detection enables parents to make informed and empowered choices. It also means treatment can begin early to give a baby a stronger chance at life.

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