Seven years, seven surgeries. After suffering from a car accident in 2014, Vanessa Ruck’s life, as she had come to know it, was changed. An on-going battle to recover her full fitness, Vanessa overcomes her suffering with an inspiring level of positivity and strength. Travel Pocket Guide spoke with Vanessa.
On an otherwise ordinary day, Vanessa was heading to the lake on a bicycle when the momentary lapse in judgement by one person to jump a red light dramatically changed her life. Struggling through mental and physical pain, Vanessa has powered through several surgeries, including the reconstruction of her hip and shoulder. After discovering the world of motorbikes both on and off the road, Vanessa Ruck started Youtube channel “The Girl On A Bike”, which is dedicated to motorbikes, travel and her experiences. I was fortunate to have had the chance to speak with this incredible woman and find out more about her gripping journey, as well as what’s to come in the future!
Hi Vanessa! First of all, thank you for this opportunity. I’d like to start this off by talking a little bit about your enthusiasm for motorbikes. How long after your accident did you discover the world of motorbikes, and what initially drew you to them?
Surprising to many, I didn’t grow up with motorcycles – I wasn’t a small kid ‘braaping’ around at an early age. I was into the world of four-legged friends and obsessed with horses.
Vanessa Ruck in Bolivia with Novo Adventures
Pre-accident, life was all extreme sports, kitesurfing being the main one. With my body ‘broken’ I had to adapt, but as my recovery continued, I sought more adventure. The road riding on my Harley-Davidson earlier in my recovery had me loving bikes, but I can’t emphasise enough how hard it was to get back out on the road after the accident. It was terrifying and a huge mental hurdle to overcome. But I fought on, determined not to let the accident in my past hold me back, on top of the physical injuries I was battling. Then over time, as my body recovered, I wanted more – the fun and the adrenaline. It was this that made me look to off-road riding. […abstract from Travel Pocket Guide]
For the rest please head to Travel Pocket Guide here:
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Vanessa Ruck an amazing woman who turned adversity into motivation and now uses her story to help others while exploring the world on two wheels. In 2014 Vanessa was riding her bicycle which a car ran a red light sending her to the hospital and starting a journey of rehabilitation that inspired her to push beyond just recovering from her accident. Today Vanessa is an author, spokesperson, motivational speaker, and competitive motorcycle rider with the goal of inspiring others.
Michael Satterfield: Your love affair with motorcycles started before your bicycle accident, what got you interested in riding?
Vanessa Ruck: Surprising to many, I didn’t grow up with motorcycles, I wasn’t a small kid braaping around at an early age. I was into the world of four-legged friends, obsessed with horses.
This all changed when I lived in The Bahamas in my early 20s for 1.5 years, here on a remote island transport was difficult. I couldn’t afford a car, so I bought a Chinese Lifan Enduro 250 motorbike and had it shipped in. There wasn’t a single other bike on the island and I’d never ridden a bike before, but that didn’t faze me. Others can ride bikes, how hard can it be?
I was however rather shocked when it arrived part assembled in a box! Yikes. Thankfully a trade for a bottle of rum saw a local bush mechanic put it together and I was on my way. I never remember ‘learning’ to ride. I just did it as it was the only way I could get around the island. I was very soon found exploring the remote island of Eleuthera, where I lived, with my spear and fins strapped to the side for spearfishing beach adventures.
Michael Satterfield: What was your first bike?
Vanessa Ruck: So my first bike was quite an adventure, lots of sand and track riding. A Chinese Lifan Enduro 250 in The Bahamas. I then came back to England and realized that it was about time I actually got my full license…I immediately passed my full access license but years went by without having a bike. I guess early in my career and post-university I couldn’t see the financial commitment of a second vehicle as feasible when a car was vital.
Years on, I was living in the UK working 9 miles from home and so I commuted by bicycle. However, this all changed with my accident taking my strong body away from me [read more]. In the years post my accident I was unable to do my commute cycling and thus was driving in our 3.5 liter V6 Mercedes-Benz Viano….which drinks petrol back and forth to work. Once physically able I decided to get a bike, the Suzuki Bandit, to skip the traffic and save money. This was really the first catalyst for bikes taking over my world following the accident. Then came a Harley-Davidson aka a bike comfortable sofa to cruise. 20k miles of touring around Europe….
For the rest please head to The Gentleman Racer here:
I had the honour of writing a piece for Dainese following joining their Expedition Masters
Extract from Dainese:
It’s ironic how you feel most alive when your heart skips a few beats. We’d been warned during the morning’s training on some rocky terrain with a mix of deep sand, hard cracked slabs and loose stone that it might be tricky at times. But as my eyes skip ahead reading the terrain, I knew I needed to focus. A deep breath as I calmed my mind, relaxing into the bike’s rhythm and powering on. The deep sand laces its fingers through the Ténéré’s wheels, like a million little sand hands all desperate to guide me away from my chosen path.
I roll on the throttle, throwing my 62kg weight as far back as possible to let the Ténéré’s front wheel float through the shifting sands. Our rhythms settle and it feels like we’re part gliding, part surfing. My peripheral vision captures flashes of the sea crashing down below the jagged cliff tops just metres from the track as I try to keep my focus on what lies ahead. My senses are in override – but I’m feeling smooth. And then ‘bang’ – we hit the hidden slabs of bedrock like icebergs in a sea of sand. The front wheel jumps up towards me as the suspension compresses, quickly followed by knees, and we absorb the shock like one long spring. It’s awesome riding here.
Pulling to a stop a mile later, my heart is racing, breath coming fast and deep, and a smile spread across my face as wide as the expansive views. I was just delighted to still be upright, and the adrenaline fuelled smiles of the other riders with me told the same story. A glance over my shoulder reveals that not all the others following have been quite so lucky. I spot two bikes laying down in the deepest patch of sand. Bars dug in, bikes a dead weight.
Watching the riders as they draw on their strength and training to lift them free of the sandy embrace, feet struggling for traction, I was very grateful to be watching and not down there with them.
The full adventure package
On a trip designed to deliver awesome adventure riding and training in one package, it’s becoming clear why it’s such a winning concept. We’re in Sardinia with Dainese’s Expedition Masters team, riding a lap of the island on a fleet of Yamaha Ténérés, soaking up as much training as our tired brains can absorb, while riding through some of the most incredible mixed riding terrain on Earth. […abstract from Dainese]
Following living with a skin condition vitiligo since the age of 13 it was an honour to talk to Real People Magazine about how my accident helped me realise that my skin was far less of a concern than I once though.
Real People Magazine
Vitiligo is a challenging condition to live with, changing ones appearance on an ongoing basis, always changing and spreading. But with the trauma of my accident, it made me realise that the colour of me skin is nothing of importance compared to the battles life can throw as us. Real People Magazine helped me share my story.
My accident made me realise that life is too short!
Vmoto Soco, the 50:50 joint venture company of Australia’s Vmoto and China’s Super Soco, has released new details of the Super Soco TS Street Hunter. The company revealed the Super Soco TS successor and the retro-style Super Soco TC Wanderer earlier this year and planned to launch it internationally this month.
Design
The Super Soco TS Street Hunter is a naked sports bike designed to look sharp and muscular and be overall more dynamic than the TS. It’s a remarkable improvement over the model it replaces from every angle. It has a razor-sharp design and looks bulkier than the TS, and the new generation electric bike keeps the mono-shock rear suspension but gets split grab rails for added sportiness.
Vmoto Soco says that the overall character of the electric bike is amplified by the LED headlights “that recall the sharp fangs of a predator.” The light compartment is completely LED to ensure visibility in all weather or light conditions and gives the TS a more modern and sporty appearance.
The Super Soco TS Street Hunter will be available in two livery variants: regular and special. Colour options will include Black, Storm Grey, Charcoal Blue (regular livery-exclusive), and Platinum White (special livery-exclusive).
Ergonomics
Stability is enhanced by the wide handlebar, which is fully redesigned for a sporty riding position and offer an ergonomic and comfortable experience. A new sporty seat enhances riding comfort with “triple density” padding. The aerodynamic winglets inspired by the racing world, says Vmoto Soco, gives the motorcycle an aggressive appearance and make it more stable when riding.
Features
The Super Soco TS Street Hunter features an LED headlight, LED taillight, LED turn signals and a fully digital instrument cluster. The 17-inch wheels with 100/80 (front)/120/70 tyres (rear), says Vmoto Soco, ensure a safe ride in any weather or road surface conditions, with a larger footprint for maximum grip without sacrificing agility.
Stopping power comes from single disc brakes at the front and rear, governed by a Combined Braking System (CBS). A USB port is offered to charge the rider’s smartphone on the move. Super Soco should release more information about the TS Street Hunter closer to its market launch.
In addition to serving the basic functions of a speedometer and an odometer, the Super Soco TS Street Hunter’s fully digital instrument cluster shows the battery status, range, clock, air temperature, and riding map.
For the rest of the Electric Vehicle Web article see here.
Check out other Vanessa Ruck media placements 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.
I had the honour of chatting to Kelly Kawasaki from Rumble On, here’s what we discussed:
Extract from Rumble On:
Why did you start your account?
I started @TheGirlOnABike when I was bed-bound after my third surgery following the accident. It was the first on my hip and decided that I needed something positive to channel my energy into. I wanted to find others battling life’s challenges and see if we could help each other. Since that day I have continued to share my journey, but not just the happy days you expect people to share.
I feel social media can be so toxic with all too perfect ‘unreal’ lives projected. I work hard to be real and honest and show the rough and tough days too. There are down days, the days you have to find all your inner strength to even just get out of bed. Life can be brutal and I hope my energy helps others.
What is the best life lesson you’ve learned from owning/riding a motorcycle?
That anything is possible if you put your mind to it and train. This really applies to my hard enduro side of riding where I’m often sat on my bike eyes wide looking at some horrific terrain ahead. But breaking it down into 16 foot sections at a time, working on my technique and fighting on, it’s possible. For me, with a slightly reconstructed body, I’m more determined than ever to prove to myself that I can!
A secondary lesson is about looking after what you have. If you look after your bike, maintain it, clean it, and keep it ready to ride, it’s amazing what you can achieve together. But when neglected, things can go wrong, and having something fail out in the wilderness or mid-race, purely because you ‘didn’t bother’ to sort it earlier is insanely frustrating. Look after the bike and it looks after you [mostly, it still tries to throw me on the ground frequently.]
Your love affair with motorcycles started before your bicycle accident, how did you get into riding?
Surprisingly to many, I didn’t grow up with motorcycles and I wasn’t a small kid braaping around at an early age. I was into the world of four-legged friends and was obsessed with horses.
I’m a huge user of Compex products in the management of my on going pain and it was a an honour when Compex asked to talk to me about my journey, here’s what they wrote:
Extract from Compex:
With a world facing some unprecedented times, here at Compex we’re determined to share good news and with International Women’s day, what more fitting topic than celebrating women’s achievements. There are countless women out there, particularly those who enjoy the benefits of our products, but today we would like to introduce Vanessa Ruck.
Vanessa Ruck aka TheGirlOnABike After being hit by a car while cycling in 2014, Vanessa’s world was turned upside down. Enduring an ongoing rollercoaster of recovery, with 7 surgeries including a reconstructed hip and shoulder, life as she knew it changed. However, while some might have given up on a life of extreme sport, Vanessa discovered a new love for motorcycles. Having tackled the fear of the road, she’s an off road enduro, adventure and Harley rider, and is determined to make the most of every day. She’s out there in the mud getting sweaty doing off-road riding on a mission to prove than anyone, even slightly reconstructed people and females, can do it too.
With a body that will never quite be the same again Vanessa has used a range of Compex products throughout her journey. “With considerable surgical invasion, building muscle strength back, or even just maintaining some of what I still had, was really quite tricky.” Vanessa told us how any joint movement would exasperate the pain around the joint that needed to rest and heel, but she was determined not to face unnecessary muscle degeneration. She started to use the SP 4.0 to stimulate her muscles. Enabling her to lie still in bed, hip relaxed but muscles working. She next progressed to the SP 8.0 to give more flexibility to use it in life situation’s; “I use to walk around the office with it on under my clothes, switching it on for up to 6 sessions through the day. In an office based environment I didn’t want my rehabilitation to be impacted” and the 8.0 allowed Vanessa to stimulate healing, muscle strengthening and pain relief while working.
For the rest please head to Compex here and you can get Compex discount code “VRCOMPEX” 30% off more here:
U Perform blog: The month of March is a special one as not only do we take time to celebrate Mother’s Day here in the UK, but worldwide we all take a moment to celebrate International Women’s Day. And as luck would have it today is that day.
With a world facing some unprecedented times, here at U Perform we’re determined to share good news and with International Women’s day, what more fitting topic than celebrating women’s achievements.
We are going to be taking you through the history books old and new to share with you OUR inspirational sports women. Those who have inspired us, inspired change and demonstrated the true values of equality and sportsmanship on and off the court.
First to enter the U Perform Hall of Fame is perhaps a name you might not be familiar with…
Katherine Switzer
Katherine Switzer is most famous for in 1967, being the very first registered female competitor in the Boston Marathon. 1967? Really? Yes, really. Up until a few years later in the early 70s, women were discouraged and barred from competing in the most famous marathon event outside of the Olympic Games – the Boston Marathon.
The main battle Katherine faced was comments like “women aren’t strong enough” “you’ll never make it to the finish”. Medical professionals were adamant that long distance running of any distance, not least the marathon was too damaging to women’s health. Switzer’s battle from then on was simply to prove to people that women are just as suited, or even more suitable, for marathoning as men.
Images of 20 year old Katherine in 1967 being grappled and pushed off the course made headlines the following day and since then have become part of her legacy. Plain and simple, they showed the blatant inequality in athletics at the time. Not only was Katherine capable of running the distance, she did so in 4hrs 20mins despite the setbacks and resistance she faced from as early as mile 2.
At this time, and even in the Olympic Games, the longest competitive running even women had… was 200 metres! It wasn’t until 1979 that the very first recognised and sanctioned women’s marathon competition was held all the way in Tokyo, Japan.
Vanessa Ruck aka TheGirlOnABike and Amy Williams MBE OLY
As Ambassadors AND members of our U Perform Expert Team, we have had the genuine pleasure of working with both Vanessa and Amy on a variety of projects and they continue to inspire us day in day out. So let’s find out a little bit more about them shall we…
After being hit by a car while cycling in 2014, Vanessa’s world was turned upside down. Enduring an ongoing rollercoaster of recovery, with 7 surgeries including a reconstructed hip and shoulder, life as she knew it changed.
However, while some might have given up on a life of extreme sport, Vanessa discovered a new love for motorcycles. Having tackled the fear of the road, she’s an off road enduro, adventure and Harley rider, and is determined to make the most of every day. She’s out there in the mud getting sweaty doing off-road riding on a mission to prove that anyone, even slightly reconstructed people AND females, can do it too.
With a body that will never quite be the same again Vanessa uses Active Collagen in her daily routine, “the difference for my aches and pains has been really noticeable, as well as the improvement in my athletic recovery post riding.”
Vanessa is a huge social media force within the adventure motorcycling world, sharing her life changing story from accident to hard enduro motorcycles. We would highly recommend following her on social media and YouTube to find out more about her story and see what she gets up to!
Amy Williams MBE OLY
Known for her gold-medal-winning skeleton race at the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010 Amy stepped into the public view overnight. An Olympic Gold win took an incredible amount of discipline, determination and focus, but with Amy’s drive for a challenge she had it nailed.
As a student in Bath, and a track athlete in the local club, Amy took a rare opportunity in the summer of 2002 to try-out the newly-installed bobsleigh and skeleton push-start training facility at Bath University. Wanting a chance to represent her country in an Olympic sport, Amy readily accepted the invitation to join the British Skeleton development programme and began to learn the art of sliding.
This became the beginning of a triumphant career in professional sport, culminating in her historic Olympic triumph. Little did she realise it at the time, but this was actually not only the only medal for Great Britain in the Vancouver Games, but also Great Britain’s first Gold Medal in an individual event for 30 years, and the first by a woman for 58 years. AMAZING AMY indeed!
Following the Games, Amy was awarded her MBE in the 2010 Queen’s Birthday Honours and was further honoured to become the first-ever female Freeman of the City of Bath, Somerset; her home-town and where she trained in preparation for her Olympic triumph I was short-listed for the 2010 BBC Sports Personality of the Year, and I received the Daily Mail’s Ian Wooldridge Award.
Moving on Amy has established herself as familiar face on national television presenting for the likes of the BBC on BBC Sport’s Ski Sunday and she also delivers incredible fitness support to the world through her personal social channels as personal trainer and fitness instructor.
As a mother of two Amy is proving that a healthy lifestyle, successful career and peak fitness is all possible with the right determination.
Check out other Vanessa Ruck media placements 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.
Over the last four years, Vanessa Ruck, also known to her thousands of followers across the world as @TheGirlOnABike, has explored the world – both on and off-road – always equipped with her Cardo Systems PACKTALK Bold.
Following a life-changing accident in March 2014, after being hit by a red-light-jumping car while out cycling, the PACKTALK unit has played a vital role in her road to recovery and regaining her confidence on two-wheels. Taking the PACKTALK Bold to 18 countries – to date – and using it for cruising on her Harley, adventure and enduro riding, Vanessa now wouldn’t ride without it.
Vanessa comments: “After an accident, it’s very easy to lose your confidence. Having the ability to speak to my husband while riding has been a big support for me getting back out there. It’s given the freedom to try new things, knowing that I’m not alone. What I didn’t know was the level of the journey I would embark on!”
Having never used communications units before, research was key when Vanessa was choosing the best unit for her requirements, upgrading as the range and features developed – starting with the Q3 and now riding with the PACKTALK Bold.
“We needed a reliable system and wanted a good battery life and range. We also wanted something to face all the elements. Everything that Cardo Systems offers. Although, back then though, we didn’t think we were going to be using them for the hard enduro riding and off-road riding that we do now!”
The PACKTALK Bold units are used in a variety of ways by Vanessa while riding alone and with other riders – features such as the waterproofness, Dynamic Mesh Communication (DMC), natural voice operation and sound quality being key benefits over competitors.
“I’ve thrown everything at the units – from snow enduro riding in the Ukraine and falling head first in the snow, connecting with friends while green laning and to two-way comms with my husband while riding my Harley! They’ve stood up to every challenge whether that’s navigating this year’s Valley’s Xtreme hard enduro event in the UK or navigating London on two wheels…
“On a safety level it’s great – warning each other of rogue car drivers or patches of oil on the road or avoiding pile-ups off-road or telling others of debris on the lane. On the social-side it’s a hoot! It means you can enjoy the adventure together!
“It still blows my mind how streamlined the different functions are. Being able to chat, navigate and listen to music all in one space is just ace!”
Vanessa is currently taking part in the ACU Michelin British Enduro Championship and the British Extreme Enduro Championship in the UK on her 2020 Husqvarna 250i and has entered the Red Bull Romaniacs in the IRideWess hard enduro in July and the Hellas Rally in Greece in May.
For the rest of the Cardo Systems article see here.
Check out other Vanessa Ruck media placements 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 Tour Enduro Sardegna website: In February 2020 we had the pleasure of hosting Vanessa Ruck (aka The Girl on a Bike) as a participant in a 3-day tour of Barbagia.In this video, Vanessa tells us about her experience and her impressions during the 3 days of tour.
Vanessa is probably the best “woman Rider” who took part in one of our tours, she showed excellent technical and physical qualities, as well as being an example of positivity.
For the rest of the Tour Enduro Sardegna article see here.
Check out other Vanessa Ruck media placements 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.
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