As seen in The Times local news: Join Vanessa Ruck on her daring journey in the 6,500km Africa Eco Race. The Girl On A Bike conquers deserts, racing for charity and healthcare mobility solutions in Africa. Win a trip to Dakar with her!

Langton Green local, Vanessa Ruck, also known as ‘The Girl On A Bike,’ has announced that she is entering into the gruelling 6,500km Africa Eco Race commencing in January 2024.

The TEDx & award-winning motivational speaker, who had a life-changing accident in 2014 after a bike crash, has already completed eight international desert rallies and is now preparing for her most challenging race yet.

Riding on her KTM 450 rally replica, fondly named Big Buddy, Vanessa will embark on the 14-day race that will take her from Monaco to Senegal in Africa.

Back in July, Vanessa became a brand ambassador for Two Wheels for Life, a charity providing healthcare mobility solutions in Africa, and she has revealed to the Times that she plans to head to Gambia with the charity directly from the Dakar finish line to help support the charities activities firsthand.

Vanessa said: “I feel so fortunate to be able to explore the wonders of many parts of Africa while racing. These countries are incredible places to visit, but sadly the health care and transport infrastructure is far from ideal.

“By working with Two Wheels for Life I have the opportunity to give something back to the people in a part of the world where motorcycles and their effective use literally saves lives.”

Through this charitable organisation, she’s also offering a chance for one lucky winner to win a five-star trip to Dakar to witness the end of the race.

For the rest of The Times local news article see here.

If you’re new to my page – it’s more than just dirt bike riding, Harleys and racing, I’m on a mission to prove that nothing is impossible if you want it bad enough. See more about my story plus read about my life-changing accident, which started it all.

You can find me Vanessa, The Girl On A Bike over on  Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok and YouTube, and www.thegirlonabike.com.

As seen in The Rev to The Limit: Follow the genuine and positive journey of a desert rally veteran, sharing insights on self-doubt, goals, and resilience.

So… Been following her exploits loosely on social media for a few years, her story struck a chord with me personally and she comes across as a very genuine and positive person to me at least.

Anyway. My IAM group organised her to come and do a talk to the group earlier this evening. She was really insightful. I don’t know that I could be so relentlessly positive as she seems to be myself, she certainly did touch on the issues of self doubt and creating goals to give herself purpose though. Some interesting stories about her experiences on the Desert rallies in Morocco, Tunisia and Qatar too…

Met her briefly at the end, she is pretty humble and genuine to be fair, though I do worry that her definition of “self preservation” is probably on a different level to most peoples… Her story of literally refusing to call time on the Rally in Tunisia despite hallucinating through dehydration whilst stuck in the desert in 48deg heat in the midday sun with a bike that had stopped working did make me question the extent to which she might be trying to prove a point to herself though…

But in a sea of disingenuous and fake social media “influencers” I feel very validated in continuing to follow her… Long may she continue to be a positive influence, and good luck to her in the Africa Eco Race (essentially the real version of the original Dakar Rally, given it finishes in Dakar and the rights to the “Dakar” were sold and that rally is now run in the Middle East) in January too.

For the rest of The Rev to The Limit article see here.

If you’re new to my page – it’s more than just dirt bike riding, Harleys and racing, I’m on a mission to prove that nothing is impossible if you want it bad enough. See more about my story plus read about my life-changing accident, which started it all.

You can find me Vanessa, The Girl On A Bike over on  Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok and YouTube, and www.thegirlonabike.com.

As seen in The Dirthub: Join Vanessa Ruck, ‘The Girl On A Bike,’ as she races 6,500km in the Africa Eco Race, conquering challenges amid chronic pain, supporting eco and social initiatives.

UK based racer, Vanessa Ruck, also known as ‘The Girl On A Bike,’ announces her entry into the Africa Eco Race, highlighting her journey and philanthropic endeavours. Vanessa has evolved from a roadbook rookie to a desert rally addict, completing eight international desert rallies and aiming for her most challenging race yet. Vanessa lives and manages chronic pain following a cycling road traffic accident in 2014, adding to the challenges she’ll face racing 6,500km to the infamous Dakar.

Riding on her KTM 450 rally replica, fondly named Big Buddy, Vanessa will start the 14-day race that will take her from Monaco to Senegal in Africa. Her most recent accomplishment was in the Morocco desert challenge, a demanding 8-day event.

Out of 77 participants in the Moto category, Vanessa was among the 40 per cent who finished every stage despite extremely harsh conditions, including peak temperatures of 52 degrees Celsius. Vanessa has also been the first female to enter and finish in certain challenging desert rallies like the Tunisia Desert Challenge.

Vanessa has personal reasons for choosing the Africa Eco race, set to take place in January 2024. Besides the rally’s reputation as one of the toughest races out there, Vanessa was drawn to its ecological and social initiatives. The race supports local communities with programs like Energy of Hope, which provides solar lamps to rural school children. “Over 2 and a half thousand lamps have been handed out so far,” Vanessa stated. The rally has also funded the planting of over 2,000 trees in the capital of Mauritania.

Vanessa also has a philanthropic angle to her racing pursuits. She is a brand ambassador for Two Wheels for Life, a charity providing healthcare mobility solutions in Africa.

“I feel so fortunate to be able to explore the wonders of many parts of Africa while racing. These countries are incredible places to visit, but sadly the health care and transport infrastructure is far from ideal. By working with Two Wheels for Life I have the opportunity to give something back to the people in a part of the world where motorcycles and their effective use literally saves lives.”

Through this organisation, she’s offering a chance for people to win a five-star trip to Dakar to witness the end of the race.

As she gears up for the monumental challenge, Vanessa is taking on speaking engagements to raise funds. As a TEDx and award-winning motivational speaker Vanessa wants to use her story to help others grow;

“I’ve broken down in tears on stage, I’ve stuttered and had to process the emotions, but in my heart I know it’s worth it… if I can turn my trauma and fight into powerful advice to help others with their life battles, then it makes what I went through worthwhile – or at least in my head it helps me process why it had to happen to me!”

“I don’t just want a payout to enable me to go and rally; I want to feel like I’m giving back,” she said. Vanessa can be found across all social media platforms and will be creating a full behind the scenes YouTube series of her Africa Eco Race adventures. Vanessa will also be heading to Gambia with Two Wheels for Life directly from the Dakar finish line to support the charities activities first hand. Don’t forget to get your ticket so you could win a 5-star trip to meet Vanessa in Senegal. You might win, and if you don’t, you’ll have donated to a charity doing great work.

For the rest of The Dirthub article see here.

If you’re new to my page – it’s more than just dirt bike riding, Harleys and racing, I’m on a mission to prove that nothing is impossible if you want it bad enough. See more about my story plus read about my life-changing accident, which started it all.

You can find me Vanessa, The Girl On A Bike over on  Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok and YouTube, and www.thegirlonabike.com.