As seen on North Wales Pioneer, North Wales Chronicle and South Wales Argus: Today we meet 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!

What has been your favourite 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 struggles. 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.

Tips for getting the most out of Instagram?

Consistency, authentic and natural content, and storytelling. Give something to the reader.

For the full article see North Wales Chronicle, South Wales Argus and North Wales Pioneer.

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.

I’m honoured to be featured in the South Wales Argus 100 amazing women of Gwent: WITH tomorrow’s International Women’s Day Wales celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women across the globe, we’ve compiled our own 100 Amazing Women of Gwent.

Vanessa Ruck

A Monmouth-based social media influencer who has won national awards for her YouTube and creative online content.

She set up her thegirlonabike Instagram account having undergone surgery for a third time after being hit by a car that jumped a red light in 2014.

Now shares her adventures and passion for bikes with thousands of followers on social media.

For the rest of the South Wales Argus article and to see the other 100 amazing women of Gwent see here. Let’s International Women’s Day Wales!

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.

Article as seen on Bennetts by Ben Cordy on BecauseICan: One of the remarkable qualities about the biking community is its willingness to give back, make a difference and exercise generosity, writes BikeSocial member Ben Cordy. From the kindness of more experienced bikers when I first began, through to the legendary service of blood bikers up and down the country, we have a well-deserved reputation for doing good.

It has been such a great pleasure ­– and a privilege – to see another side to that generosity, that impetus to give back, after connecting with Vanessa Ruck (aka theGirlonabike) in her pursuit of sharing a #BecauseICan mindset with young people.

Making a difference to young people

As a youth/schools worker by day and an avid biker by night, I know better than most the vast array of struggles and battles that shape teenage life. The uncertainty of covid and the seemingly endless disruption to the routine of school has led to many in the mainstream press professing a bleak picture for young people, describing them as a lost generation, doomed to failure or insurmountable challenge.

Thankfully the truth is far more positive, but in the face of difficult times the biking community – as it so often does – has stepped up to make a difference and to bring some positivity to young people.

Vanessa has a powerful story of overcoming seemingly impossible circumstances following a bicycle vs car accident in 2014. Vanessa battled through seven years of recovery and seven surgeries, discovering a passion for motorbikes in the midst of all this and finding deep purpose in the pursuit of riding both on and off road.

Describing herself as a motorcycle rider, racer and adventurer, Vanessa has now taken on some of the most challenging off-road motorcycle races in the world, tackling everything from Red Bull Romaniacs to the desert Rallye Du Maroc. Her dogged determination to overcome the struggles of her recovery and to progress as a rider and racer has earned her a committed following online with over a quarter of a million followers worldwide.

Over the past six months, motivated by the negativity towards young people in the media and her drive to promote and overcome, Vanessa’s #BecauseICan mindset has been giving her time to support schools up and down the country through engaging sessions sharing her recovery journey, the lessons it’s taught her along the way and passing her passion for all things two-wheels on to the next generation of riders and adventurers.

For more on the #BecauseICan sessions see – Free school workshops

Through these sessions Vanessa has recently completed her second ‘mini’ tour of schools in Leeds working closely with the charity I work for, Leeds Faith In Schools, to encourage and inspire as many young people as possible to step up, take control of their situations and seeking help where needed to pursue their dreams however big or small. Having now shared her story with over 4,000 young people across Leeds, and many more elsewhere, the impact and feedback has been amazing with young people walking away with tools to face their circumstances, inspired to overcome and dream big.

Her energy, enthusiasm and passion has made her a favourite with our schools and we’re already seeing young people acting on the encouragement left in her wake.

The sessions, available free to schools, are supported by ‘Horsepower’, presenting a massive opportunity to promote the positive side of biking, to support and encourage your local young people in being their best selves.

For the rest of the Bennetts BecauseICan 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 Yorkshire Evening Post: A woman who was left in a hospital bed for months following an accidents while cycling has been telling Leeds school pupils how riding and racing motorbikes has been key to her recovery.

Vanessa Ruck, known as The Girl on a Bike, recently spent four days in Leeds where she visited Carr Manor, Garforth Academy and Wetherby High School to talk about a project she has deemed a ‘Because I Can’ attitude #becauseIcan. The movement is about giving young people the right tools to take on life, despite the setbacks and uncertainties that we all face, especially in light of covid-19.

Born from real life experiences that Ms Ruck has had, the workshops bring highly relatable lessons and tools to help better equip youths, and adults alike, for the battles and challenges of life. Vanessa Ruck, known as The Girl On A Bike, delivered inspiration talks to hundreds of pupils during her visits to Leeds schools last month.

Organised via Leeds Faith in Schools, The Girl On A Bike, delivered free workshops and assemblies on finding ways to make things work, dealing with the lows and the setbacks, whilst moving steadily towards one’s goals. After being hit by a car while cycling in 2014, Ms Ruck’s world was turned upside down, resulting in seven surgeries and a roller- coaster of mental and physical recovery spanning seven years.

Through her recovery she discovered motorcycles, becoming known as “The Girl On A Bike”. It started with getting a commuter bike after the accident as she needed to get to work but found the physicality of riding helped with body strength and then she decided to get a dirt bike, even though it was five months following another bout of surgery before she could get on it.

Then she started competing and racing at events and this has since taken her The Red Bull Romaniacs extreme hard enduro rally – a 600km race in Romania.

She added: “Motorcycles, something I started post-accident, have become my love and passion. If you’d asked me seven years ago whether I would be racing off-road motorcycles I’d have probably choked on my drink. But life takes us on some amazing journeys.

“People can relate to my story because everyone goes through bad times. Hopefully I am inspiring others to show that if I can bounce back after seven surgeries, others can get through their hard times.” #becauseIcan

For the rest of the Yorkshire Evening Post article on BecauseICan 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 see on Monmouthshire Beacon: Monmouth’s motorbiking superstar Vanessa Ruck, also known as The Girl On A Bike has brought home yet another medal. This time from the Valleys Xtreme 2022, at the Walter’s Arena.

Valleys Xtreme claims to provide the hardest and most challenging riding in the UK Enduro calendar. Set in the Welsh Valleys over two days at Walters Arena, Valleys Xtreme offers a big challenge for professional and expert riders.

Running late to the event as a result of having to take care of a faulty killswitch, Vanessa prepared for the track the night before by watching video footage.

With the help of her husband, she signed up, kitted up and rolled out the bikes in time for a run on the prologue stages.

The track features obstacles, such as skips, rocks, think mud, and ‘terrifying stuff’.

Following the first timed lap is the fast lap, where riders battle it out for the fastest time. Performance on the fast lap determines her starting position for the race the following day.

Vanessa can be seen on the prologue tearing through thick mud between concrete and softer barriers around a treacherous and dangerous track.

Following the fast lap she said: “That lap was longer than I expected it to be, super muddy and sloppy, but fast.”

Vanessa Ruck (A Girl On A Bike)

Checking out the track ahead, she scoped out five rows of placed boulders, which bikers had to tackle, puddles a foot deep, and hurdles made of tyres. She explained how when she reviewed the Neil Hawker track preview she was terrified, however scoping out the track from ground level allowed her to assess and strategise in a way she felt relatively confident about.

Back on the track with the other riders, she battled the obstacles as the sun was going down. A collision with another rider knocking her front tyre out almost caused her to retire early, but she powered on.

After the qualifying stage, she said: “I’m quite pleased that I survived it, I got around it, I think I actually enjoyed it in the end. I’ve got a broken gear shifter from where the guy rode into me.”

On the morning of the race, Vanessa had found herself placing on row two, which meant she achieved a relatively fast time in previous day’s qualifier.

After what she describes as a ‘gruelling, beautiful’ lap, she won a silver finish.

This win was a milestone for Vanessa, marking two years on from her very first race, which was also at Valleys Xtreme.

Vanessa’s Valleys Xtreme laps can be found on her Youtube channel (The Girl On A Bike).

Vanessa worked in marketing for 10 years when life took a devastating turn, cycling to work and being run over by a car jumping a red light.

She said: “Motorcycles, something I started post-accident, have become my love and passion. If you’d asked me seven years ago whether I would be racing off-road motorcycles I’d have probably choked on my drink! But life takes us on some amazing journeys. People can relate to my story because everyone goes through bad times and I think they’re cheering me on to keep doing better and better. Hopefully I am inspiring others to show that if I can bounce back after seven surgeries, others can get through their hard times.”

Vanessa is an accomplished social media star, standing at nearly 30,000 subscribers on Youtube, gaining around 600 every month. Her channel pulls in around 60,000 monthly views.

The competitive Enduro Rally racer had just come back from the Rallye Du Maroc when bagged the prize. She thinks that it is because of the footage of her entering really challenging events or travelling to stunning countries, is why her videos on Youtube are energetic and inspiring.

Check out the Monmouthshire Beacon for the full Valleys Xtreme article 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.

GQ Magazine Car Awards party photos featuring top celebs and Vanessa Ruck aka The Girl On A bike

It’s really been an exciting few weeks! I’ve made it into the GQ Magazine Car Awards Party pictures with Michelin! It was such a huge honour to be there alongside such incredible people!

On a night of high energy, GQ kick-started the year with the first-ever GQ Magazine car awards, hosted at The Berkeley in London’s Knightsbridge. As well as the great and good from the automotive industry, GQ and partners Michelin welcomed guests that included grime artists, actors, fashion designers, racing drivers, television presenters and athletes to celebrate the best battery-powered machines of 2022. And although it was an evening where the electric cars (and one remarkable motorbike) were the stars, there were plenty of powerful performances on stage.

The electric racing world was out in force, with Extreme E star Max Chilton and Formula E presenters Nicki Shields and Josh Denzel handing out awards, while Max Chilton represented the traditionally-fuelled Formula 1 world. From Tesla to Porsche, Mini to Mustang, the most innovative, insightful – and beautiful – electric vehicles had an evening in the spotlight.

The only thing the GQ eCar Awards couldn’t quite do was beat the traffic, as guest presenter Mist discovered when his petrol-powered McLaren 720S ended up in gridlock on the M1. Maybe the Gassed Up presenter should have taken up our offer of a chauffeur-driven all-electric Jaguar I-Pace – EVs are clearly the future.

For the rest of the GQ-Magazine 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.

It’s an honour to be included in Quad Locks list of top female motorcycle riders you should follow.

In celebration of International Women’s Day 2022 and women around the world – Quad Lock thought they would highlight some of the most empowering female motorcyclists you should keep track of (pun intended) on Instagram. Here’s our favourite motorbike riders you should follow.

Vanessa Ruck @thegirlonabike

Born and raised in London, Vanessa has built her brand on the goal of making the most out of her life and helping others do the same. After getting into a bicycle accident that left Vanessa unable to cycle to work, it led her to pursue motorcycling and thus birthed the beginning of ‘The Girl On A Bike’.

Making an effort to share both the good and the bad days, Vanessa embodies transparency with her audience to dismantle the “too perfect” and unrealistic bounds of social media.

Her love for motorbikes has taken her all over the world from Bolivia, Ukraine, Sardinia, to Iceland; sharing her journey online to prove that anyone can get up and enjoy life on two wheels and normalising girls on motorbikes.

Kinga Tanajewska @onherbike

“Life was never the same again” – Kinga was gifted her first bike by her parents after graduating from high school. Born in what was known as Communist Poland, Kinga immigrated to Australia where the start of her tours began

Beginning with a solo ride around Australia called the ‘Tour De Oz,’ Kinga has built a cult following on her Youtube channel where she now documents her travels around the world on her bike ‘Chillie’ (a BMW F800GS).

Maria Costello @mariocostellombe

Maria Costello is a British motorcycle racer that broke history as the first woman to stand on the podium at the Isle of Man TT in 2004.

Since then, Maria has encouraged other women around the world to feel comfortable riding a motorcycle by creating women-only track-days, ‘Woman on a Motorcycle,’ where she mentors young riders in the European Junior Cup, and hosts women-only skill days.

Ana Carrasco @anacarrasco_22

24-year-old Ana Carrasco is a Spanish motorcycle racer who began riding motorbikes at the age of 16. Previously, Ana won the 2018 Supersport 300 World Championship riding a Kawasaki Ninja 400 – being the first woman in history to win a World Championship in solo motorcycle racing.

The journey was not easy as she faced isolation when she first joined the Moto3 World Championship, where she acknowledged the lack of support and acceptance for female riders such as herself.

Now she seeks to show the world that “a woman can be just as good as a man,” paving the way for the next generation of female riders and empowering women on the track and online.

For the rest of the Quad Locks article of female motorcycle riders to follow 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.

Life isn’t always about doing what everyone else does! So how about a motorcycle rally in a sidecar? Super excited to have chatted with Eglė Gerulaitytė from ADV Pulse about the mayhem of racing on three wheels in the O Nosso Dakar rally with my husband. One mighty adventure!

Extract from ADVPulse – Vanessa Ruck, a British rider and rally racer who took on the Portuguese adventure Dakar piloting a Ural Gear Up sidecar with her husband

A well-known rally race aimed at adventure bike riders, saw its 9^th edition this year. The rally took 315 riders across rugged Portuguese terrain covering over 400 kilometers in the Algarve area in two days. What was unusual about O Nosso Dakar this year were two sidecar teams racing alongside two-wheelers.

Tracks at the Rally consist mainly of gravel roads, single track, hill climbs, ruts, washed out water channels, and just about everything in between. It’s no walk in the park for motorcycle riders, and for a sidecar, it’s a serious challenge.

I spoke to Vanessa Ruck, a British rider and rally racer who took on the Portuguese adventure Dakar piloting a Ural Gear Up sidecar with her husband Alex Ruck as her co-pilot. Vanessa is an experienced rider – just last year, she completed Romaniacs, one of the most grueling hard enduro races in the world, and took part in Rallye du Maroc. However, her sidecar experience amounted to just a few days of training prior to the race. 

Although the organizers provided several detours around the steepest climbs for the sidecar racers, Vanessa and Alex chose to stick to the rally route – and made it.

Racing a Sidecar

O Nosso Dakar rally mostly sees riders aboard bikes like the BMW R1200GS, Honda Africa Twin, and Yamaha Tenere 700. When Vanessa got the invitation to race in a sidecar, however, she didn’t hesitate.

“Back in November, I spent three days with Ural Experiences Portugal learning to ride a sidecar for the first time. On the final afternoon of the trip, my best friend Emma and I came up with an idea: why not do a rally in a sidecar? The seed was planted, and it grew from there,” Vanessa shares.

According to her, a sidecar motorcycle handles very differently from a two wheeler. Sidecars have different reactions, unique controls, and a whole extra wheel to think about. It also weighs nearly half a ton and completely transforms the riding experience. “Three wheels may sound easy, but an adventure motorcycle sidecar really is its own beast,” Vanessa explains.

When Ural Portugal invited Vanessa to race the O Nosso Dakar, there was little time for preparations. She and her husband rode a Ural Gear Up sidecar with upgraded suspension, but there were no rally-specific mods on the bike.

Vanessa did one crash-course day of training just before the rally, and she shares it was a steep learning curve. “I had to seriously up my game, learning to use the front brake to turn to the left, sliding the 500+kg loaded unit across the terrain with the throttle on to pull away in a new direction. Get it wrong and it will spit you out,” she explains.

In addition to her own training, her husband Alex needed to adjust to the co-pilot position quickly, too. A co-pilot in a sidecar helps the rider by flinging their weight to counter the physics of centrifugal forces as well as navigating.

“It’s a shared experience and team work. If either one of us misses a beat, we’re both taking the consequences with half a ton of mass beneath us,” Vanessa says.

“I entered the rally as a complete sidecar novice and finished it with confidence. Sometimes, calculated risks, stepping outside your comfort zone, and trying new things is the best way to progress and learn. I certainly progressed my riding more in two days of the rally than I would have in a week trail riding. So if you’re tempted to try a rally, then I’d say get up and give it a go!”

Currently, Vanessa is planning her 2022 racing season – and a race in a sidecar may be on the cards again, too.

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.

With IWD’s themed to #BreakTheBias, smashing the gender stereotypes, I’m honoured to have been featured on YouTube’s UK International Women’s Day feature.

The Girl On A Bike – Vanessa Ruck

Vanessa is a motorcycle rider and racer who speaks passionately and authentically about her ongoing challenges recovering from a life changing accident she endured in 2014. Through her content Vanessa gives a refreshingly real account of the highs and lows of everyday life.

For the rest of the Introducing Women of YouTube 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.

GQ Magazine’s Motorcycle of the year 2022 at the recent GQ Car Awards 2022 Awards in London.

In recognising the Arc Vector as the bike of 2022, GQ magazine acknowledged our product as a sector-redefining hyperbike. The Arc Vector is not only the most advanced electric motorcycle ever brought to market; it’s a bike that utilises exotic materials, thoroughbred componentry, cutting-edge architecture and technological innovations that have never been applied to two-wheeled transport before.

In accepting the award on the night, Arc Founder & CEO Mark Truman thanked his team of ground-breaking British designers and engineers pioneering electric machines and all the support staff, saying “This award is great recognition for all the hard work over the last few years and especially during a time of great global uncertainty. With a growing order book and pre-production models pretty much completed, the start of the year has been a strong one for Arc, with a lot more to come in 2022”.

The award now rests proudly at the Arc Facility in Coventry, England.

For the rest of the Arc Vehicle Post 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.