As seen in The kentonline: Vanessa Ruck as the first finisher at the wheel of a production trail bike. The British company crowned its participation in the demanding raid with far more than a victory. The 1000 Dunes will test the physical and mental abilities of dozens of experienced and amateur pilots, as well as the performance of their mounts.

Seven intense days, between October 22 and 29, in which the participants have covered between 1,500 and 2,500 km. Among them, four lovers of two wheels with the most varied profiles at the controls of different Triumph Tigers: the five-time Enduro World Champion Iván Cervantes with his Tiger 900 Rally Pro who won the Hard Trail; Josu Orozko, an amateur mechanic by profession with a Tiger 800 XC for more than 10 years who has made a podium in the Trail category; and Aled Price and Vanessa Ruck, two semi-professional riders who traveled by road from South Wales to Granada on the Tiger 900 Rally Pro to take part in the raid and who have made Vanessa the first female ‘Finisher’ with a motorcycle of more than 200 kg and totally series.

The passion for motorcycles and for adventure, as well as the desire to excel, have united the 66 participants of the 1000 Dunes raid in what has been one of the most demanding and exciting experiences of their lives, covering all kinds of lands across two continents. The Plateau de Rekam, the infinite slopes of Bouarfa or the majestic dunes of Merzouga have been some of the impressive territories that have been crossed. An experience in which Triumph, which continues to take steps in its firm commitment to off-road, has been more than victorious.

The effort and work of the drivers who faced this challenge on the back of their Triumphs has translated into enormously positive results in a particularly tough edition. And although the difficulty of the route has taken its toll on part of the caravan, with several abandonments and re-enlistments in the following days, the four British mounts that have participated in the challenge have successfully completed it, highlighting the performance, resistance and mechanical reliability of the Tiger in the harshest conditions.

The double success of number 25: Hard Trail winner and coach of excellence

Iván Cervantes has won first place on the podium, not only piloting masterfully, but also sailing with a very high degree of efficiency, as he has reached 95.5% of the maximum theoretical score in his category (he has achieved 1,390 points of 1455 possible, taking into account both the validated Waypoints and the penalties). And that Cervantes had not navigated with a roadbook since the Dakar 2018.

An unbeatable end of the year for the award-winning rider who is closing an intense season, in which he has not only been immersed in the development and testing of Triumph’s future motocross and enduro range, but has also once again tasted the honeys of success in renowned competitions such as Baja Aragón and Bassella Race1. 

But in addition to his stupendous result, the Triumph flag bearer has taken on a far from easy challenge in this edition of 1000 Dunas since, together with Miguel Puertas, he acted as a coach and advisor to the rest of the riders. Thus, his day never ended when the motorcycles rested. At that time, he took the opportunity to share experiences with the other pilots, amateurs and professionals, and to focus on the former, offering them tricks and advice, in order to improve his performance the next day and, ultimately,

The mechanic who crossed Morocco to reach the podium of the 1000 Dunas

For his part, Josu Orozko, riding a 2012 Tiger 800 XC, finished in a more than creditable third place in the Trail category. The amateur rider was the winner of the Triumph Scholarship |1000 Dunes and until now he had only participated in short off-road navigation tests, never in such a demanding raid.

The one from Bilbao became the protégé of Iván Cervantes, with whom he shared a tent and cabin, and who waited for him every day at the end of the stage to take an interest in him and help him face the next day. The ties between the two drivers became so close that Iván even gave him one of his tires and mounted it himself on Josu’s rim, who has discovered that in addition to being a brilliant driver, he is a formidable person.

Josu is the perfect example of how hard work and tenacity, along with some more than appreciated advice and a machine to trust, are key in a challenge like the 1000 Dunes. Already from home, Orozko declared: “It has been a very ‘heavy’ experience, I have lived very bad moments and very good ones. The body is falling apart for days, I think my bike was the oldest of all and navigation is very complicated, although there comes a time when you get the ‘feeling’ and that’s when you learn and really enjoy. I still have a thorn in my side from an important mistake I made in stage 3, but I can’t ask for more, since I managed to get a podium finish. I do not have enough words to thank Iván for everything he has helped me and I have also felt very supported by the Triumph Spain team. Everything has been amazing.”

For the rest of the Kent TV 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 and YouTube, and www.thegirlonabike.com.

As seen in The UK knews media: TheGirlOnABike, who suffered a horrific cycling accident a few years ago, has become the first female to complete a grueling 1,800km motorbike rally in the desert. Vanessa Ruck, aged 36, is from the Wye Valley and recently rode from her home in Wales to Spain.

Vanessa stated that once she first of all commenced driving her bike, little did she realize that she could in the end emerge as a full-time rider. “I changed into bed-sure and commenced TheGirlOnABike with out questioning that a good deal of it,” she stated. “I wanted some thing to present me energy, some thing to cognizance on as on the time my intellectual fitness wasn’t great.

“But if each person could’ve informed me I could in the end emerge as a rider all the ones years back, I probable could’ve choked on my drink. But the sector takes you on a few loopy journeys.”

Vanessa changed into biking domestic in the future from paintings, while a automobile got here the opposite manner and knocked her off her motorbike. She changed into taken to sanatorium and changed into later discharged that nighttime with bruising. Over the years however, the effect of the twist of fate have become glaring on her frame and fitness.

She had seven surgeries, together with 5 at the hip and at the shoulder. “My bodily recuperation changed into horrific,” she explained. “But my intellectual fitness recuperation changed into harder – I changed into recognized with a couple of disorders, it took a variety of time, energy, crying and persistence to method and paintings thru that.”

Vanessa stated that she could set herself a few “loopy goals” all through her recuperation. After her hip surgical procedure however, she determined to get herself an off-street motorbike 5 months earlier than she ought to even take a seat down on it. “It changed into there as a goal, as a reminder after I changed into hurting an excessive amount of to even try to get out of bed,” she added.

Her every day motivation in the end have become her ardour and now she is a full-time expert rider. Since then, Vanessa has taken element in endless races including the sector famend rallies of Red Bull Romaniacs and Dinaric Rally, however none had been as tough because the Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro she embarked together along with her teammate, Aled Price.

Vanessa took at the project of driving a Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro bike among Granada, Spain and Morocco, most effective seven years after taking over driving motorcycles. During the project, she could stumble upon unpredictable terrain, together with free rocks, ruts, riverbeds and sand dunes.

She stated: “I had executed a few wilderness races previously. It is a few form of sadistic adventure – they may be brutally hard, each mentally and physically. You’ve were given the heat, the navigation, you’re napping in a tent that you need to percent it withinside the morning, you’re running to your personal motorbike – it’s simply brutal.

“But the experience of fulfillment and the delight of while you hold pushing past your final minute of electricity and while you locate extra electricity, is the maximum empowering feeling ever. I realised that this turned into the toughest factor I’d long past thru however I turned into in control, it turned into now not the accident.”

When speaking approximately the maximum tough a part of the journey, she said: “So day three, there has been a phase of approximately 60k of approximately one-storey excessive sand dunes. They had been short, choppy and simply horrible. There turned into no rhythm and no immediately lines. But Aled and I had been in survival mode, we needed to prevent every so often as we had been getting stuck.

“We had been approximately 12k on the stop of those dunes while Aled’s take hold of were burnt out. That turned into his motormotorcycle done. I needed to make the selection of both take a seat down right here and admit defeat, or do I hold going on. When I pulled farfar from him, the worry in my head of going into the ones dunes solo turned into large. My coronary heart turned into racing and I knew I turned into using for my life.

“But I made it out and that feeling once I made it out turned into simply honestly incredible. It turned into this sort of large buzz of excitement. To simply end the challenge, I turned into so tiring however I turned into so pleased with myself. The largest factor for me turned into displaying the sector and different humans that girls can rise up and do stuff like this. I simply need to encourage younger children and in particular younger women that in case you positioned your thoughts to it, you may attain anything.”

For the rest of the UK Knews Media 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 and YouTube, and www.thegirlonabike.com.

As seen in The Moto Sport: The Triumph off-road ambassador won the Hard Trail category while riding the Tiger 900, adding up to 95.5% of the points available across the seven stages of the Raid 1000 Dunes in Morocco. He received 1390 out of a possible 1455 points, taking first place.

With the same Tiger 900 Rally Pro in which he won the Baja Aragón Trail category in July, Iván’s feat in this incredibly technical and challenging 1500km rally shows his determination and Tiger’s class-leading ability.

Adding to Tiger’s growing list of racing achievements, Aled Price and Vanessa Ruck also completed the 1000 Dunas aboard the standard Tiger 900 Rally Pro in the same hard trail category as Iván, making Vanessa the first female rider to complete the challenge in a series adventure bike. Triumph enthusiast and mechanic Josu Orozko joined the impressive list of achievements with third in the Trail category on his own 10-year-old Tiger 800 XC, which he personally prepared for this race.

The 1000 Dunas raid was designed to test the physical and psychological capabilities of each of the participating riders, pushing endurance, concentration and ability to navigate road-books in challenging terrain to the limit. Passing through some of the most spectacular terrain in North Africa, the 66 participants of the 2022 edition completed long stages through the heat and dust, reaching the Recam Plateau, the endless slopes of Bouarfa, and the great dunes of Erg de Merzouga.

Iván Cervantes: “It was an incredible adventure, 1500km, where the Tiger 900 Rally Pro behaved perfectly. We tackled every type of terrain we could imagine – gravel, sand, mud, rocks and river crossings – without having any problems, proving just how capable the Tiger 900 Rally Pro is. I would like to thank Triumph Spain for their constant support during the event which allowed me to focus on achieving the best possible result.”

For the rest of the Moto Sport 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 and YouTube, and www.thegirlonabike.com.

As seen in The Portsmouth: A Portsmouth graduate who overcame the Moroccan sand dunes has become the first female motorbike racer to finish a demanding desert rally on a big bike.

Vanessa Ruck, aka The Girl on a Bike, reached the end of the 1000 Dunas rally on her adventure bike. She battled dry riverbeds, camel grass and rough terrain over a 1,500km route across seven days.

‘Most people were there on more typical smaller rally bikes. I was part of a very small group of nutters on large motorcycles’, Ms Ruck said. ‘The terrain was incredibly challenging at times and recovering a bike over three times your body weight in soft sand presents a real struggle.’

Passionate about offroad racing, Ms Ruck rode her Triumph Tiger Rally Pro 900 from the factory to the starting point in Granada – jumping straight in with little preparation. The course took riders across the Moroccan desert to Merzouga, before looping back to Spain.

Ms Ruck faced several challenges on the arduous course while riding with teammate Aled Price. She said she had to cover a section of the journey – 180km – alone as Mr Price’s bike broke down due to a burned-out clutch.

She added: ‘We had a section of small, uneven dunes covered in camel grass where Aled and I were in full survival mode. ‘We got more and more tired, so it was teamwork to recover the bikes until the unthinkable happened, Aled’s clutch burned out. The bike was dead.

‘As I pulled away, leaving him to be rescued, I knew I was riding for my life. My heart was racing and it took every bit of determination, strength and fight to make it through. Being alone in a desert on a bike like that was brutal, and the heat, and fatigue and fear builds very quickly.’

Riders are ranked according to their navigation accuracy and if they finish each stage. Ms Ruck finished eighth out of eleven Hard Trial finishers, wrestling with her heavy 900cc adventure bike while users used lighter vehicles.

Ms Ruck hopes her achievement inspired other women. She added: ‘Sure, I have to fight a little harder, I’m smaller and not as strong as a guy, but women absolutely can do it, and it’s a very powerful feeling.’

For the rest of the The News Portsmouth 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 and YouTube, and www.thegirlonabike.com.

As seen in The canariasenmoto: Incredible outcomes in a difficult raid wherein the 4 Triumphs that participated efficiently crossed the end line: victory for Iván Cervantes, podium for Josu Orozco and Vanessa Ruck because the first woman ‘Finisher’ on the controls of a sequence Trail motorcycle.

The British firm culminates its participation in the demanding raid with much more than a victory. The 1000 Dunas has tested the physical and psychological capacities of dozens of expert and amateur pilots, as well as the performance of their mounts. Seven intense days, between October 22 and 29, in which the participants have covered between 1,500 and 2,500 km. 

Among them, four lovers of two wheels with the most varied profiles at the controls of different Triumph Tigers: the five-time Enduro World Champion Iván Cervantes with his Tiger 900 Rally Pro who won the Hard Trail; Josu Orozko, an amateur mechanic by profession with a Tiger 800 XC for more than 10 years who has made a podium in the Trail category; and Aled Price and Vanessa Ruck,

The passion for motorcycles and for adventure, as well as the desire to excel, have united the 66 participants of the 1000 Dunes raid in what has been one of the most demanding and exciting experiences of their lives, covering all kinds of lands across two continents. The Plateau de Rekam, the infinite slopes of Bouarfa or the majestic dunes of Merzouga have been some of the impressive territories that have been crossed. An experience in which Triumph, which continues to take steps in its firm commitment to off-road, has been more than victorious.

The effort and work of the drivers who faced this challenge on the back of their Triumphs has resulted in enormously positive results in a particularly tough edition. And although the difficulty of the route has taken its toll on part of the caravan, with several abandonments and re-enlistments in the following days, the four British mounts that have participated in the challenge have successfully completed it, highlighting the performance, resistance and mechanical reliability of the Tiger in the harshest conditions.

THE DOUBLE SUCCESS OF NUMBER 25: HARD TRAIL WINNER AND COACH OF EXCELLENCE    

Iván Cervantes has won first place on the podium, not only piloting masterfully, but also sailing with a very high degree of efficiency, as he has reached 95.5% of the maximum theoretical score in his category (he has achieved 1,390 points of 1455 possible, taking into account both the validated Waypoints and the penalties). And that Cervantes had not navigated with a roadbook since the Dakar 2018.

An unbeatable end of the year for the award-winning rider who is closing an intense season, in which he has not only been immersed in the development and testing of Triumph’s future motocross and enduro range, but has also once again tasted the honeys of success in renowned competitions such as Baja Aragón and Bassella Race1. But in addition to his stupendous result, the Triumph flag bearer has taken on a far from easy challenge in this edition of 1000 Dunas since, together with Miguel Puertas, he acted as a coach and advisor to the rest of the riders. Thus, his day never ended when the bikes rested. At that time, he took the opportunity to share experiences with the other pilots, amateurs and professionals, and to focus on the former, offering them tricks and advice, in order to improve his performance the next day and, ultimately,

With his Tiger 900 Rally Pro, the same one with which he participated in the Baja Aragón, already in the Parc Fermé, Cervantes took stock of the experience: “It has been an incredible adventure of more than 1,500 km. The performance of the bike has been perfect on all the terrains that we have encountered: gravel, sand, mud, rocks and river crossings; and once again we have been able to show how capable the Tiger 900 Rally Pro is. I would like to thank the Triumph Spain team for their constant support throughout the rally, as this has allowed me to focus on achieving the best possible result”.

For his part, Josu Orozko, riding a 2012 Tiger 800 XC, finished in a more than creditable third place in the Trail category. The amateur rider was the winner of the Triumph Scholarship |1000 Dunes and until now he had only participated in short off-road navigation tests, never in such a demanding raid.

The one from Bilbao became the protégé of Iván Cervantes, with whom he shared a tent and cabin, and who waited for him every day at the end of the stage to take an interest in him and help him face the next day. The ties between the two drivers became so close that Iván even gave him one of his tires and mounted it himself on Josu’s wheel, who has discovered that in addition to being a brilliant driver, he is a formidable person.

Josu is the perfect example of how hard work and tenacity, along with some more than appreciated advice and a machine to trust, are key in a challenge like the 1000 Dunes. Already from home, Orozko declared: “It has been a very ‘heavy’ experience, I have lived very bad moments and very good ones. The body is undone by days, I think my bike was the oldest of all and navigation is very complicated, although there comes a time when you get the ‘feeling’ and that’s when you learn and really enjoy. I still have a thorn in my side from an important mistake I made in stage 3, but I can’t ask for more, since I managed to get a podium finish. I do not have enough words to thank Iván for everything he has helped me and I have also felt very supported by the Triumph Spain team. Everything has been amazing.”

FROM ENGLAND TO THE DESERT OF MOROCCO WITH A SERIES MOTORCYCLE 

Vanessa Ruck, who participated with her partner Aled Price in the Hard Trail category, both riding Tiger 900 Rally Pro trails, has become the first female finisher of the 1000 Dunes at the controls of a series trail bike. This British pilot is the living image of overcoming. She fully entered the world of motorcycles after suffering a serious bicycle accident, which made her go through surgery up to 7 times.

An accident that took place approximately 8 years ago, almost a decade in which she has not stopped outdoing herself. An example? Ruck hadn’t trained on the Triumph he’s raced with, in fact he got on it for the first time to make the road and ferry trip to Andalucia. Once there, he visited the Triumph Adventure Experience in Malaga, where he unpacked, fitted the knobby tires and spent a day familiarizing himself with the Tiger 900 Rally Pro in an off-road environment before embarking on his new adventure into the desert.

Her balance of the raid is as determined as herself: “The 1000 Dunas has been much more difficult than expected to the point that every day I got on the bike with the aim of surviving. I used all the strength of my body and mind to get to the finish, and it feels like an incredible achievement to have pushed both the bike and myself to the limit. I would get back on the Tiger 900 Rally Pro tomorrow. I loved this bike.”

For the rest of the Canariasen Moto 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 and YouTube, and www.thegirlonabike.com.

As seen in The Advpulse: Is it completely insane to attempt a seven-day rally raid in a stock Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro across a desert? or a grand journey?

According to Vanessa Ruck, a British rider who has done just that, it’s the latter. Vanessa, aka The Girl on a Bike, is an inspirational rider – having endured multiple hip and shoulder reconstructions after a horrific car accident, Vanessa’s obsession with motorcycles grew and has progressed from everyday rider to taking on some of the world’s most extreme races such as Romaniacs, Rally du Maroc and the Tunisia Desert Challenge. 

Battling dry riverbeds, sand, camel grass, dunes, and long distances over rough terrain every day, Vanessa finished the 1000 Dunas rally alongside her teammate Aled Price, becoming the first female to complete the rally on a standard adventure motorcycle.

The 1000 Dunas starts in Granada, Spain, takes riders across the Moroccan desert to Merzouga, then loops back to Granada for the finish covering over 1,500km. It’s a seven-day rally where roadbook navigation skills reign supreme and the limits of riders and their bikes are tested. Riders are ranked according to navigation accuracy and whether they finish each stage. Vanessa came in 8^th out of eleven finishers in the advanced adventure bike Hard Trail category.

Tiger 900 Rally Pro vs Desert Rally Raid

Vanessa rode the Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro motorcycle from the UK to Spain carrying all her camping gear, tools, and spares with her. Then, she spent one day familiarizing herself with the bike off-road at the Triumph Adventure Experience in Spain, did some minor tweaks on the Tiger, and lined up at the 1000 Dunas start.

“Ivan Cervantes, the winner of the Hard Trail category, had his Tiger modified to perfection, while mine was pretty much stock – I used the lower seat setting, we shed a little bit off weight, put handguards and different tires on, and that was that,” Vanessa shares.

According to the 1000 Dunas organizers, this event is all about being the ultimate test of how far you can go, and not all riders are expected to finish every single day. The roadbook navigation is tricky, the terrain is hard, and the distances are long.

“Most people were there on more typical, 450cc rally bikes. I was part of a very small group of nutters on large motorcycles – in total, there were only eleven riders finishing the rally in the Hard Trail category,” Vanessa says.

According to her, the terrain was incredibly challenging at times, and recovering a heavy Tiger isn’t quite the same as a smaller, lighter 450 or even a Husky 701. “We had a section of small, uneven dunes covered in camel grass where Aled and I were in full survival mode. We got more and more tired, so it was teamwork to recover the bikes at one point – the bikes handled the terrain like absolute beasts, but when you have to pick up a large adventure motorcycle several times a day, the heat and fatigue add up very quickly,” Vanessa explains.

Luckily, the bikes held up well despite a few crashes and hard terrain. Vanessa had a minor electrical issue, while her teammate Aled’s chain had snapped and he’d burned a clutch at one point, but all of these issues could be fixed in time for the next start.

The Adventure of a Thousand Dunes

Vanessa shares she would have perhaps hesitated a little more before saying “yes” to entering the 1000 Dunas on an adventure bike if she’d known just how brutal it was going to be. “Then again, I’m not one to shy away from a challenge, so I was determined to give it my all to get over that finish line. However, while I think going into the desert with rocky riverbeds, boulder fields, dunes, hill climbs, and sand on a Tiger is brave, doing it alone would have been stupid, which is why I chose to ride with Aled,” Vanessa explains.

Riding as a team, Vanessa and Aled covered the distance and made it to the finish line every single day, although Aled missed one with his burned clutch leaving Vanessa to continue 180km solo. Each day their arrival at the bivouac elicited cheers and support from other riders on smaller motorcycles. According to Vanessa, they had no idea whether the Tigers would hold or whether they would be capable enough for a rally raid like this – yet day in and day out, the motorcycles just plowed on.

“The Tiger is so powerful and comfortable on the big, open tracks, and we were especially grateful for heated grips and seats during liaison stages as it gets cold in the desert in the morning. We learned a lot about how to ride these beasts in the desert and how to handle them in the sand. It was brutal, and I’m crazy proud to have fought on and made it to the end!”, Vanessa shares.

It’s not hard to imagine that wrestling a heavy 900cc adventure motorcycle over sand dunes rather than a lighter bike is a much harder job. In addition to fighting it out in the desert, Vanessa and Aled had to do their own motorcycle maintenance and repairs like changing tires or cleaning air filters every night. They had help from the Cervantes’ mechanics team with the bigger issues, but other than that, the riders went at it malle moto-style.

“The feeling of finishing 1000 Dunas is absolutely incredible. Male or female, getting across that finish line is an achievement. Doing it as a female just makes me feel really proud for other women out there and hopefully show some inspiration and encourage others to give it a go. Sure, I have to fight a little harder, I’m smaller and not as strong as a guy, but women absolutely can do it, and it’s a very powerful feeling. I’m utterly exhausted right now but buzzing at the same time,” says Vanessa.

“I have to admit I’ve fallen in love with the Tiger, too. The rally was designed to find your limits, and actually, I didn’t find the limits of the Tiger. I now desperately want to work out how I could steal it from Triumph!,” she shares.

As she recovers from the 1000 Dunas challenge, Vanessa is planning an adventure motorcycle tour in South America soon. Come 2023, Vanessa hopes to build her own rally bike and enter the Morocco Desert Challenge, one of the biggest desert races out there.

For the rest of the ADV Pulse 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 and YouTube, and www.thegirlonabike.com.

As seen in The More Bikes: The first female to ever finish on a motorcycle, British rider, racer, and explorer Vanessa Ruck, 36, has finished the 1000 DUNAS RAID in Spain.

Vanessa – also known as ‘The Girl on a Bike’ – took on the challenge riding a Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro motorcycle, between Granada, Spain and Morocco after only taking up riding motorcycles seven years ago.

Adding to the Tiger’s growing roster of racing achievements, Triumph’s off-road ambassador, Iván Cervantes, won the won the Hard Trail category on his specialised Tiger 900, with 1390 out of 1455 total points., while Triumph enthusiast and mechanic Josu Orozko, gained 3rd position in the Trail category on his own MY12 Tiger 800 XC. British Clubman Enduro Champion, Aled Price, also completed the Hard Trail with Vanessa Ruck on his standard Tiger 900 Rally Pro.

The 1,800km cross-country rally raid took Vanessa seven days to complete, showcasing her determination and the Tiger’s class leading capability, with over 70 hours of riding across unpredictable terrain, including loose rocks, ruts, riverbeds, and sand dunes. Using both mechanical and riding skills, Vanessa had to do her own daily servicing on the bike, from chains and tyre changes to bolt checks and daily filters. But perhaps the most challenging of all was the size of the bike, which at 201kg, was more than three times Vanessa’s body weight. In tough conditions, this made control of the bike and picking it up from inevitable drops on soft sand, extremely difficult.

Ms. Ruck commented: “The 1000 DUNAS was harder than expected, and I ultimately ended up riding for survival. It took every strength in my mind and body to reach the end, and it feels like an incredible achievement to be able to push both myself and the bike to its limits. The fact that I would jump on another Tiger 900 Rally Pro tomorrow says it all – I have a great love for the bike.”

Vanessa found her love for motorbikes seven years ago while recovering from a cycling accident. After a lengthy recovery involving five hip and two shoulder surgeries, she found new adventures on a motorcycle, and never looked back. Having no previous rally experience, Vanessa took on the Qatar International Baja, Rallye du Maroc and then became the first woman to have ever competed in the Tunisia Desert Challenge and has competed in numerous rallies since, including the notorious Red Bull Romaniacs and Dinaric Rally. She has since made it her mission to break barriers and expectations, whether through upskilling her knowledge of motorcycle mechanics or mastering unforgiving terrain.

Ms Ruck continued: “My accident was the hardest thing I ever had to go through, and my love for riding has meant I can embrace new challenges that are within my control. Mental attitude is a huge contributor to success – for me, staying positive and not being afraid to fail have allowed me to continue to push my limits to places I never thought I could go.”

Before she reached the start line, Vanessa had prepared by riding the Tiger 900 all the way from South Wales to the Triumph Adventure Experience in Spain to complete a few hours of training. There she made minor adjustments to the stock Tiger 900 to ensure its versatility and reliability throughout the rally. This included fitting rally navigation, extra strong hand guards and fitting off road focused tyres as well as removing panniers and rails for speed and making deep sand recovery easier.

With its generous ground clearance, excellent power to weight ratio, dedicated high specification Showa suspension set up, sump guard and engine protection, rally off-road pro mode which disables ABS and traction control, and lightweight Brembo Stylema brakes, the Tiger 900 is as capable off-road as it is on.

General Manager of Triumph Motorcycles UK & Ireland, Devron Boulton, applauded Vanessa’s achievement: “In this unforgiving and challenging terrain, Vanessa tackled the event with skill and bravery. Her efforts were outstanding, and were well matched by the performance of the Tiger 900 Rally Pro. Congratulations to all four Tiger riders, and the teams supporting them at the event.”

For the rest of the More Bikes 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 and YouTube, and www.thegirlonabike.com.

As seen in The Super7Moto: The British firm culminates its participation in the demanding raid with much more than a victory. The 1000 Dunas has tested the physical and psychological capacities of dozens of expert and amateur pilots, as well as the performance of their mounts.

Seven intense days, between October 22 and 29, in which the participants have covered between 1,500 and 2,500 km. Among them, four lovers of two wheels with the most varied profiles at the controls of different Triumph Tigers: the five-time Enduro World Champion Iván Cervantes with his Tiger 900 Rally Pro who won the Hard Trail; Josu Orozko, an amateur mechanic by profession with a Tiger 800 XC for more than 10 years who has made a podium in the Trail category; and Aled Price and Vanessa Ruck, two semi-professional riders who traveled by road from South Wales to Granada on the Tiger 900 Rally Pro to take part in the raid and who have made Vanessa the first female ‘Finisher’ with a motorcycle of more than 200 kg and totally series.

The passion for motorcycles and for adventure, as well as the desire to excel, have united the 66 participants of the 1000 Dunes raid in what has been one of the most demanding and exciting experiences of their lives, covering all kinds of lands across two continents. The Plateau de Rekam, the infinite slopes of Bouarfa or the majestic dunes of Merzouga have been some of the impressive territories that have been crossed. An experience in which Triumph, which continues to take steps in its firm commitment to off-road, has been more than victorious.

The effort and work of the drivers who faced this challenge on the back of their Triumphs has translated into enormously positive results in a particularly tough edition. And although the difficulty of the route has taken its toll on part of the caravan, with several abandonments and re-enlistments in the following days, the four British mounts that have participated in the challenge have successfully completed it, highlighting the performance, resistance and mechanical reliability of the Tiger in the harshest conditions.

The double success of number 25: Hard Trail winner and coach of excellence

Iván Cervantes has won first place on the podium, not only piloting masterfully, but also sailing with a very high degree of efficiency, as he has reached 95.5% of the maximum theoretical score in his category (he has achieved 1,390 points of 1455 possible, taking into account both the validated Waypoints and the penalties). And that Cervantes had not navigated with a roadbook since the Dakar 2018.

An unbeatable end of the year for the award-winning rider who is closing an intense season, in which he has not only been immersed in the development and testing of Triumph’s future motocross and enduro range, but has also once again tasted the honeys of success in renowned competitions such as Baja Aragón and Bassella Race1. But in addition to his stupendous result, the Triumph flag bearer has taken on a far from easy challenge in this edition of 1000 Dunas since, together with Miguel Puertas, he acted as a coach and advisor to the rest of the riders. 

Thus, his day never ended when the motorcycles rested. At that time, he took the opportunity to share experiences with the other pilots, amateurs and professionals, and to focus on the former, offering them tricks and advice, in order to improve his performance the next day and, ultimately,

The mechanic who crossed Morocco to reach the podium of the 1000 Dunas

For his part, Josu Orozko, riding a 2012 Tiger 800 XC, finished in a more than creditable third place in the Trail category. The amateur rider was the winner of the Triumph Scholarship |1000 Dunes and until now he had only participated in short off-road navigation tests, never in such a demanding raid.

The one from Bilbao became the protégé of Iván Cervantes, with whom he shared a tent and cabin, and who waited for him every day at the end of the stage to take an interest in him and help him face the next day. The ties between the two drivers became so close that Iván even gave him one of his tires and mounted it himself on Josu’s rim, who has discovered that in addition to being a brilliant driver, he is a formidable person.

Josu is the perfect example of how hard work and tenacity, along with some more than appreciated advice and a machine to trust, are key in a challenge like the 1000 Dunes. Already from home, Orozko declared: “It has been a very ‘heavy’ experience, I have lived very bad moments and very good ones. The body is falling apart for days, I think my bike was the oldest of all and navigation is very complicated, although there comes a time when you get the ‘feeling’ and that’s when you learn and really enjoy. I still have a thorn in my side from an important mistake I made in stage 3, but I can’t ask for more, since I managed to get a podium finish. I do not have enough words to thank Iván for everything he has helped me and I have also felt very supported by the Triumph Spain team. Everything has been amazing.”

For the rest of the Super7moto 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 and YouTube, and www.thegirlonabike.com.

As seen in The Andarde Moto: During the 7 days of testing, the pilots had the opportunity to experience the desert in its “pure and hard” state, traveling through unique places in the Merzouga dunes.

The Elite, Pro and Adventure categories covered a total of 2500 km throughout the race, while the Hard Trail, Trail and Classic categories covered 1500 km, all with the help of highly technical “Roadbooks”.

Despite the fatigue and difficulties that the pilots suffered, what stood out in the 1000 Dunas was the companionship between all the participants, a positive consequence of this not being a race focused on speed, but on the orientation that led the participants to help each other without being worried. with the time it would take to complete the stage.

The 1000 Dunas managed to test the physical and psychological conditions of all 66 participants, through extensive stages that ranged from 150 to 400 km, depending on the category. The objective of these long stages was to make each rider aware of their limits and which resulted in the abandonment of some due to technical problems, extreme fatigue, heat or dust. Even so, many of these abandonments were present again in the remaining stages.

The race leaders team, led by Iván Cervantes, managed to help many inexperienced riders through small briefings held before each stage where tips were given to overcome more difficult places.

Participants were very happy to have completed the 1000 Dunas 2022, where they were able to overcome their personal limits and always learn something new during the 7 stages.

The athlete, Vanessa Ruck, was the first woman to complete the 1000 Dunas on a standard Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro. Aled Price and Josu Orozko also finished the race riding a Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro and Triumph Tiger 800 CX, respectively, which once again reinforces Triumph’s value in these off-road endurance events.

According to the organization, the equipment that Racered provided to the pilots for the 1000 Dunas overcame the extreme conditions to which they were subjected during all stages.

The group of participants arrived in Granada, southern Spain, on the 30th of October, officially putting an end to this 2022 edition of 1000 Dunas.

For the rest of the Andar de Moto 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 and YouTube, and www.thegirlonabike.com.

As seen in The bikersnod: Vanessa Ruck, A 36-year-old British Motorcycle Ridder, Racer, And Adventurer, Completed The 1000 Dunas Raid In Spain, Becoming The First Woman To Ever Complete On A Standard Production Adventure Bike.

Adding to the Tiger’s growing roster of racing achievements, Triumph’s off-road ambassador, Iván Cervantes, won the Hard Trail category on his specialised Tiger 900, with 1390 out of 1455 total points., while Triumph enthusiast and mechanic Josu Orozko, gained 3rd position in the Trail category on his own MY12 Tiger 800 XC. British Clubman Enduro Champion, Aled Price, also completed the Hard Trail with Vanessa Ruck on his standard Tiger 900 Rally Pro.

The 1,800km cross-country rally raid took Vanessa seven days to complete, showcasing her determination and the Tiger’s class-leading capability, with over 70 hours of riding across unpredictable terrain, including loose rocks, ruts, riverbeds, and sand dunes.

Using both mechanical and riding skills, Vanessa had to do her own daily servicing on the bike, from chains and tyre changes to bolt checks and daily filters. But perhaps the most challenging of all was the size of the bike, which at 201kg, was more than three times Vanessa’s body weight. In tough conditions, this made control of the bike and picking it up from inevitable drops on soft sand, extremely difficult.

Vanessa told Bikers Nod: “The 1000 DUNAS was harder than expected, and I ultimately ended up riding for survival. It took every strength in my mind and body to reach the end, and it feels like an incredible achievement to be able to push both myself and the bike to its limits. The fact that I would jump on another Tiger 900 Rally Pro tomorrow says it all – I have a great love for the bike.”

If you follow Vanessa on social media, you will know already that she found her love for motorbikes seven years ago while recovering from a cycling accident. After a lengthy recovery involving five hip and two shoulder surgeries, she found new adventures on a motorcycle, and never looked back. Having no previous rally experience, Vanessa took on the Qatar International Baja, Rallye du Maroc and then became the first woman to have ever competed in the Tunisia Desert Challenge and has competed in numerous rallies since, including the notorious Red Bull Romaniacs and Dinaric Rally. She has since made it her mission to break barriers and expectations, whether through upskilling her knowledge of motorcycle mechanics or mastering unforgiving terrain.

My accident was the hardest thing I ever had to go through, and my love for riding has meant I can embrace new challenges that are within my control. Mental attitude is a huge contributor to success – for me, staying positive and not being afraid to fail have allowed me to continue to push my limits to places I never thought I could go.

Before she even reached the start line, Vanessa had prepared by riding the Tiger 900 all the way from South Wales to the Triumph Adventure Experience in Spain to complete a few hours of training. There she made minor adjustments to the stock Tiger 900 to ensure its versatility and reliability throughout the rally. This included fitting rally navigation, extra-strong hand guards and fitting off-road focused tyres as well as removing panniers and rails for speed and making deep sand recovery easier.

With its generous ground clearance, excellent power-to-weight ratio, dedicated high specification Showa suspension set up, sump guard and engine protection, rally off-road pro mode which disables ABS and traction control, and lightweight Brembo Stylema brakes, the Tiger 900 is as capable off-road as it is on.

General Manager of Triumph Motorcycles UK & Ireland, Devron Boulton, applauded Vanessa’s achievement: “In this unforgiving and challenging terrain, Vanessa tackled the event with skill and bravery. Her efforts were outstanding, and were well matched by the performance of the Tiger 900 Rally Pro. Congratulations to all four Tiger riders, and the teams supporting them at the event.”

For the rest of the Bikers Nod 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 and YouTube, and www.thegirlonabike.com.