As seen on the Rad Season: Vanessa Ruck grew up in England keeping fit in the outdoors doing loads of sports. When she went to University at 18 she got hooked on wakeboarding, snowboarding, mountain biking, anything that got the adrenaline pumping. In 2014 Vanessa’s life took a turn when she was out cycling and was hit by a car.
The accident changed Vanessa’s life as she realised she would not longer be able to do some of the sports that she loved. She turned to motorbikes initially as a way of getting around and adventuring on the open road. After multiple surgeries she started The Girl On A Bike when she was bed bound to channel her energy into something positive. Vanessa shares all the ups and downs of her recovery. Her goal is to make the most out of each day and help others do the same.
Tune in to find out how Vanessa got on in the Tunisia Desert Challenge extreme rally. The physical and mental recovery process, inspiring others through her journey, going from riding Harleys to Hard Enduro, social media and loads more!
Join us for the Vanessa Ruck Chat:
For the rest of the Rad Season motorcycle podcast 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.
From the TheBikerBar: In this webinar, the ever-inspiring, Vanessa Ruck, discusses her life-threatening road accident, and how motorcycles turned her life around.
It was an honour to join one of the first Biker Bar webinars, here is the recording:
More about the BikerBar:
There’s nothing like the feeling of riding a motorcycle, whether for the trails or the track, for competition, recreation, or necessity. The next best thing is talking about motorcycles and sharing our experiences of riding. That’s why I created TheBiker.Bar .
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.
As seen on the Dirt Hub: Vanessa Ruck, also known as The Girl on a Bike, has been the first woman to ever enter into the Tunisia Desert Challenge, an extreme rally raid over sand dunes and in blistering temperatures. The 35-year-old UK competitor went on to complete the gruelling 8 day endurance event, covering up to 469km each day and won the ladies class.
But it wasn’t all sunshine! She endured sandstorms with up to 85km/hr winds which meant that the race had to be paused, she had bike issues leading to a night in the dunes, and another mechanical failure ending with the rescue helicopter being sent out. Many riders were waiting for hours, some drivers even multiple days in direct sunshine with limited water following issues in the brutal conditions.
Despite being on a motorcycle, only able to take what you can carry, competitors are required to carry various safety items such as flares and emergency blankets. For many these proved to be lifelines.
The 3rd stage, through the El Borma dunes, was described by a 10 times Dakar finisher as ‘the hardest day riding of their life’. As one of the many competitors to be recovered Vanessa faced an electrical fault ending her day miles from anywhere. She was the furthest bike of 16 to be recovered, just 6km from the end of 45 kilometres of dunes that day but in those conditions a mere 500 meters is a gruelling slog. She made a campfire and waited for help to arrive. After an exciting rescue in the dark of the night Vanessa made it back to the bivouac at 3.30am, grabbing just 2.5 hours sleep while her Desert Rose Racing mechanic team frantically got her rally bike ‘Sandy’ back to life. Sleepy eyed, it was time for another day of racing.
During the 4th stage, the bad luck continued as Vanessa’s bike malfunctioned at 10.30 AM so she was stranded, again. Miles from anywhere, deep in the dunes the temperatures peaked at 45 degrees. At these temperatures, the body starts to shut down and even with water, severe dehydration and heat exhaustion is just a matter of time. She survived the desert heat by taking water from other vehicles entered into a different class and by mid-afternoon used her bike as some protection from the sun’s deadly rays.
Vanessa said, ‘I had water as thankfully passing cars, trucks and buggies gave me some, but by 5pm I was bad. I called for an emergency evacuation and when they saw me, they were clearly scared. I was terrified. I had been trying not to breathe in the hot sand but it felt like my head was going to explode. I was delirious and was put on a drip. One competitor sadly died due to the heat as they didn’t activate emergency support from the organisers, I’m glad I found the strength to hit the button’.
For the rest of the Dirt Hub Postarticle on the Tunisia Desert Challenge 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.
As seen on the Enduro News: Vanessa Ruck, also known as The Girl on a Bike, has been the first woman to ever enter into the Tunisia Desert Challenge, an extreme rally raid over sand dunes and in blistering temperatures.
The 35-year-old UK competitor went on to complete the gruelling 8 day endurance event, covering up to 469km each day and won the ladies class. But it wasn’t all sunshine! She endured sandstorms with up to 85km/hr winds which meant that the race had to be paused, she had bike issues leading to a night in the dunes, and another mechanical failure ending with the rescue helicopter being sent out. Many riders were waiting for hours, some drivers even multiple days in direct sunshine with limited water following issues in the brutal conditions.
Despite being on a motorcycle, only able to take what you can carry, competitors are required to carry various safety items such as flares and emergency blankets. For many these proved to be lifelines.
The 3rd stage, through the El Borma dunes, was described by a 10 times Dakar finisher as ‘the hardest day riding of their life’. As one of the many competitors to be recovered Vanessa faced an electrical fault ending her day miles from anywhere. She was the furthest bike of 16 to be recovered, just 6km from the end of 45 kilometres of dunes that day but in those conditions a mere 500 meters is a gruelling slog. She made a campfire and waited for help to arrive.
After an exciting rescue in the dark of the night Vanessa made it back to the bivouac at 3.30am, grabbing just 2.5 hours sleep while her Desert Rose Racing mechanic team frantically got her rally bike ‘Sandy’ back to life. Sleepy eyed, it was time for another day of racing.
During the 4th stage, the bad luck continued as Vanessa’s bike malfunctioned at 10.30 AM so she was stranded, again. Miles from anywhere, deep in the dunes the temperatures peaked at 45 degrees. At these temperatures, the body starts to shut down and even with water, severe dehydration and heat exhaustion is just a matter of time. She survived the desert heat by taking water from other vehicles entered into a different class and by mid-afternoon used her bike as some protection from the sun’s deadly rays.
Vanessa said, ‘I had water as thankfully passing cars, trucks and buggies gave me some, but by 5pm I was bad. I called for an emergency evacuation and when they saw me, they were clearly scared. I was terrified. I had been trying not to breathe in the hot sand but it felt like my head was going to explode. I was delirious and was put on a drip. One competitor sadly died due to the heat as they didn’t activate emergency support from the organisers, I’m glad I found the strength to hit the button’.
The camaraderie amongst the competitors was high, and the organisers made an announcement when Vanessa was rescued safely as the questions for her wellbeing were incessant! She carried on with the next stage, and the next, battling the daily challenges of the Tunisian Desert Challenge, and went on to become the first ever female to enter and finish this tough endurance event.
Vanessa’s story is one of true resilience and utter determination so it’s no surprise to her social media followers that she finished! She describes herself as just a normal girl who faced one of life’s big curve balls. But after being hit by a car while cycling in 2014, resulting in 7 surgeries and a roller-coaster of mental and physical recovery spanning 7 years, taking on Tunisia was no mean feat!Vanessa’s story is one of true resilience and utter determination so it’s no surprise to her social media followers that she finished! She describes herself as just a normal girl who faced one of life’s big curve balls. But after being hit by a car while cycling in 2014, resulting in 7 surgeries and a roller-coaster of mental and physical recovery spanning 7 years, taking on Tunisia was no mean feat!
For the rest of the Enduro News Postarticle 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.
As seen on the Get It podcast: Vanessa joins Nashy straight from Tunisia where she competed in the Desert Challenge! An adventure junkie, and outdoor lover with an ability to battle through and overcome extreme pain!
In 2014 Vanessa was involved in a life changing accident. To this day she lives with pain and has had at least one operation a year since being knocked off her bicycle.
It was a pleasure to have Vanessa on the show. What she has overcome and achieved since her accident inspires many and there are no signs of her slowing down anytime soon!
For the rest of the Get It After Podcast 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.
As seen on the GQ Magazine: While it’s easier to talk about mental health now than ever before, it can still be a struggle for many, but there are people all over the world ready and able to help. Indeed, when times are tough it helps to have a community around you.
A group of like-minded people who share a common interest, who simply want others within it to be the best they can be. Within every community there’ll be someone willing to listen, and the automotive world is using its collective love of things with wheels to open the conversation and help people realise that it’s OK to not be OK.
Lewis Warren, founder of apparel, media, and meet-up brand Takona, wants to use a connection to cars as a starting point for open and honest conversation: “More often than not, I’ve found that if I have something in common, normally cars, with a person, we connect much quicker and it makes conversations flow much easier.
Takona sells clothing, stickers, and more, with a portion of its profits going towards supporting mental health charities. Warren’s approach is to use Takona as something of a flag to let people know that they’re on side, and willing to talk openly. Since the brand’s inception, Takona’s branched out into physical meet-ups called Coffees and Cars. What started as a small gathering, has turned into a growing network of events all over the country.
Not everyone can get themselves to a meet, despite Takona’s rapid growth. This is where Reverend Adam Gompertz and the REVS Limiter community steps in. Pre-pandemic, Rev Gompertz’s parish wasn’t a big drafty room, but a weekly classic car meet with a side of Jesus. “We were born out of a desire for me as a reverend to take church out of the building and go and be amongst people rather than expecting people to come to us,” says Gompertz. Whether you want to talk about a Jeep Compass or Jesus Christ, the REVS meetups treated you equally, and encouraged chat about everything under the sun. However, when the pandemic hit the meets had to stop for obvious reasons.
It kicked off as a Facebook group designed to put on a virtual show on a set day featuring 15-minute films from community members because Rev Gompertz recognised that if he was struggling, others would be as well. The chat, the opportunity to tell your own story and listen to others’ was gone, and many were feeling isolated. “Actually doing something visual online helped people see that they weren’t the only ones who were struggling during lockdown,” Rev Gompertz said.
Stories and a willingness to tell them are a huge part of helping others talk about their mental health troubles. Warwickshire’s petrolhead hub Caffeine and Machine has started an initiative to share them and encourage conversation around them. C&M founders Phil McGovern and Dan Macken started monthly evenings called I Love You, Man in the middle of 2020 (when lockdown rules allowed). Macken tells us why: “We wanted to encourage people to talk. The journey we have been on to create and develop Caffeine and Machine has provoked so many emotions and stresses for us and our team, and taken us on this weird and wonderful journey. What started out as us talking through our own experiences, developed into a desire to bring people together for a night of discussion and to normalise the idea that people struggle.”
Initially hosted by McGovern and Macken, the pair relinquished hosting duties to, er, me, the evenings see a guest connected to the automotive world interviewed about their lives – both ups and downs – and then take audience questions. Guests have included Richard Porter, Julian Thomson, Ian Callum, The KYZA, George North, Vanessa Ruck, and many more, each bringing vulnerability and openness to the assembled crowd. I Love You, Man isn’t recorded, meaning guests can be a little more honest than they would be with a microphone in their face.
McGovern knows that the nights have directly helped people: “The conversations we have with our community before, during and after every event is testament to that. It’s one of the single most fulfilling elements of why we run the event and why we’re so keen to develop the platform and help as many people as we can based on the stories we have the pleasure of hearing.”
There’s no barrier to entry for the nights, bar a ticket fee that goes to the guest’s charity of choice. You’ll be welcomed whoever you are. Macken adds: “We have lots of groups of friends that choose to meet up at our ILYM evenings, but many people that visit on their own too. We take huge pride in the fact that so many people are prepared to visit alone and that the environment we create is so welcoming that they feel comfortable enough to do so.”
I Love You, Man’s evenings may tell one story at a time, but through those, audiences get a clear, relatable view, of the person on the couch.
Sometimes sitting and listening doesn’t do the trick, getting out and driving can be a help. Macken said: “For many people, cars are an escape. Going for a drive whether it’s with friends or alone, is a chance for us to clear our minds and enjoy the journey. It can be a sensory experience too, depending on what you’re driving; the touch, feel, smell and sense of freedom you get from getting in the car is unlike much else.”
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.
As seen on the Desert Rose Riding Academy: Vanessa Ruck, The Girl on a Bike, was with the Desert Rose Team this week delivering her kit for the upcoming Tunisia Desert Challenge which she is competing in, on a Desert Rose supplied, Beta rally bike.
The bike has been prepared by Desert Rose Dirt Tech and is now ready for some custom graphics to be applied. The Tunisia Desert Challenge is an 8 stage rallye, taking in infinite dune sections of the mythical El Borma to iconic Star Wars sites in Tunisia’s seemingly endless desert.
Whilst with us in Sussex, Vanessa took the opportunity to join us on one of our off road training days. Although already an experienced rider, having taken part in competitions from Red Bull Romaniacs to Valleys Xtreme, The 2021 Qatar Baja and the Rallye du Maroc, Vanessa threw herself into the exercises with enthusiasm along with the rest of the group.
We covered all the basic, underpinning skills needed for any off road rider, from body positioning and bike handing, to clutch control, braking on uneven and loose terrain, to tackling up hills, down hills and even a little technical stream crossing.
For the rest of the Dessert Rose Riding Academy 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.
As seen on South Wales Argus: Vanessa Ruck visits schools to tell the pupils about her story and how they can achieve their goals and also provides practical school workshops.
In 2014, Vanessa Ruck’s life was turned upside down after she was knocked off her bike when a car ran a red light.
“Before my accident, I was working full-time and passionate about sports,”
VANESSA RUCK
She was left bedridden for a period of time and needed seven reconstructive surgeries over the next seven years, including one on her right shoulder and five on her hip. It was during the period when she was bedridden that she became interested in motorbikes.
I was led in bed and said to my husband that I wanted a dirt bike,” she said. “He looked at me like I was mad and said ‘let’s get you that bike.
It took me five months to get to even sit on the bike as I couldn’t even get out of bed to go to the toilet so I set myself little goals like getting out of bed to go to the toilet rather than using a bedpan.
It is this kind of goal setting that Mrs Ruck is using to help young people. Alongside competing at motorbike events across the world, she is now giving motivational talks and practical sessions in schools.
“When you believe in yourself, it’s absolutely incredible what you can achieve,” she said. This is the message that she aims to get through to young people who see her sessions.
She was inspired to give these sessions after the pandemic hit and seeing media reports of how children and young people will be losing out on 40 per cent of their future income due to time lost in school and losing out on vital education and experiences.
“It’s so sad to see that written,” she said. “And they will believe it too because they’re seeing it in the media.
I wanted to use my story to show that you can achieve anything you want to and to show how people can achieve their dreams and goals by setting smaller goals and creating a positive mindset.
In one school workshop, one of the pupils was causing some distractions and was sat at the side of the room,” she said. “They were still listening and when it came to writing down goals, I went over to them and asked what their goals were.
She said that the pupil ‘didn’t have any’ but then said they wanted to do a 180 wheelspin on their bike and couldn’t because they were grounded for not doing well in school. Mrs Ruck said that when she explained how with setting goals such as being better in school would lead to being able to ride the back by not being grounded and then the goal was closer, the pupil’s eyes lit up as the penny dropped.
For the rest of the South Wales Argusarticle 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.
With IWD’s themed to #BreakTheBias, smashing the gender stereotypes out the window it feels like a really natural fit! I’m honoured to have seen so many International Women’s Day features. Men, women, boys, girls, any human, can get up and get out there. I’ve been on a mission to help encourage others to just get up and grab life by the horns.
As a female fighting on with chronic pain following my accident, I’m putting myself outside my comfort-zone on two wheels, and I’m sharing the ups and the downs – not just the ‘pretty’ stuff. I’ve also, with a little support from LFIS, found the believe in myself to put myself out there even more… with my #becauseIcan free schools workshops [more info].
I am buzzing that YouTube have recognised me for such an incredible feature AGAIN.
It was a huge honour to see how many brands featured me for International Women’s Day:
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.
As seen on the Rhyl Journal: Meet the motorcycling social media star Vanessa Ruck, 35, who describes herself as a motorcycle rider, racer and adventurer, and content creator.The 35-year-old, who lives in the Wye Valley, has 97,000 followers for her Instagram account.
Why did you set it up and what is your Instagram about?
After being hit by a car while cycling in 2014, my world was turned upside down. Motorcycles weren’t a part of my life before the accident, but have been instrumental in my recovery.
I’ve been sharing life, I’m putting myself outside my comfort-zone on two wheels, and I’m sharing the ups and the downs – not just the ‘pretty’ stuff.I’ve been on a mission to help encourage others to just get up and grab life by the horns.
If I can do it, you can do it!
Social media star Vanessa Ruck
What has been your favorite post – and why?
Too many to pick from!
But any post where I am struggling. For me they are the most vulnerable moments I put myself in, being so open with the world. But the response from others seeing that they are not the only ones who struggle. That energy is incredible and helps me find the energy to keep going with my pain.
I wish the world was more honest and open about our battles.
What is the best thing about Instagram?
Meeting other people and knowing that the battles I have gone through are helping other people battle life’s challenges.
In the world of perfectly presented lives on social media, I work hard to give a honest and raw personality of real life.
What other Instagrammers do you like to follow?
Gosh, lots of brands, pro riders, adventures. I like inspiration for adventures and making the most of every day.
What is the most surprising thing that has happened to you because of Instagram?
I quit my full time job as a director in marketing and am now a full time rider.
For the rest of the Rhyl Journal Postarticle 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.
