As seen in The Cross CountryAdv: Kickstart your rally bike build with our expert tips! Get ready to transform your bike for amateur rally racing and conquer the Hellas Rally Raid.

Ready for your very own rally bike build? As the winter has forced many of us to park the bikes for the cold season, it’s the perfect time to start a rally project. If you’re aiming for amateur rally classes and hoping to race Hellas Rally Raid or a similar rally, you’re more than capable of doing the rally bike build yourself. In essence, it’s about prepping your existing bike for a rally, and you can install most of the essential mods yourself.

In this post, we’ll touch on the most important rally bike build components and what to watch out for when working on your project bike.

Rally Bike Build: The Goal

First and foremost, you need the right plan for a rally bike build. Instead of focusing on getting a KTM 450 rally replica or obtaining the newest, shiniest farkles, think differently. Ask yourself: what will make your bike more durable, reliable, and suitable for the tough rally conditions and circumstances you’ll find yourself in during a race?

Next, think about what will give the function you need: navigation, fuel capacity, tires, mousses, and the like. Choose products and parts that are well-designed, tried and tested, not just known brands. If your budget is tight but you still want the Dakar-level quality and look, check out REBEL rally bike build products, especially their navigation kits – REBEL makes reliable, durable stuff that will last for Hellas and Africa Eco Race alike. Bonus point? Their roadbook holder mounts low on the handlebars, keeping the weight low, too.

Speaking of navigation: should you go paper or digital? While there is a big move toward digital roadbooks, we always recommend riders stick to the old, mechanical paper scroll method, and this isn’t just about the old Paris-Dakar nostalgia. Mechanic means two things – durable and reliable, and it’s much less likely to fail during a rally race when conditions are unpredictable and crashes, probably inevitable. Look for F2R or MigTec – this is what rally factory teams use at the Dakar, and for your trimpaster, ICO is still king. It’s still the #1 choice among factory teams, but if you want more features, personalization, and newer tech, check out the RNS.

Finally, think about what will give you more control, confidence, and safety. Suspension tuning and modification, steering damper (we love Scotts), and better footpegs may all contribute to that.

Building the Rally Bike for the Long Haul

When building rally bikes, people tend to forget one simple thing: your bike needs to be comfortable for long daily distances. You may have the best rally navigation tower, tires, and suspension, but things like handlebar vibration and noise add to the fatigue. Take a look at BRP or Xtrg handlebar mounts to minimize the vibration – your hands and arms will thank you after putting away hundreds of miles on rough terrain.

Equally, wind noise can be harmful, especially on those crazy distances, so think about a rally windshield. In addition, while it’s not exactly a bike mod, be sure to carry earplugs with you.

Next, think abut your feet. Racing a rally, you will be spending hours and hours standing up on your pegs. When riding off-road, you have dramatically less control of the bike while sitting and can’t see far enough ahead, so you’ll need to be standing. A lot. And much like with any small discomfort that seems insignificant for a day’s ride, it can quickly escalate into pain and pure torture during the long rally days. If you gear doesn’t fit well, chafing will soon turn into bleeding wounds.

If your footpegs are uncomfortable, your feet will be screaming with pain by Day Three. If you’ll be riding 200-300 kilometers a day – and that’s pretty standard at most rally races – you need wider, more comfortable footpegs.

Finally, think about your bum: when doing a rally bike build, a comfortable seat should also make it to your list of mods. Every rally has liaison stages – long stretches of tarmac or graded dirt roads – so you’ll inevitably get a sore bum if your seat is uncomfortable. So much so, in fact, that Vanessa Ruck confessed to using pillows strapped to her seat during the Morocco Desert Challenge. Avoid this by getting a better seat or, at the very least, a seat cover featuring quick-dry materials and gel or foam inserts.

For the rest of the Cross CountryAdv 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 RAF News [print]: AN INTREPID dirt bike rider who overcame life-changing injuries to compete at the top of extreme sport is the latest person to sign on at Cranwells Wall of Honour.

Since then, she’s bought a dirt bike and ridden all over the world only including Bolivia, Ukraine, Sardinia, Iceland, in the Red Bull Romaniacs enduro race and on a 1,500 km seven-day desert endurance test.
Married to an RAF engineer, she was invited to the Aircrew Survival, Evasion and Resistance Training Centre to tell students about the challenges she’s overcome.

Defence SERE Training Officer Mark Fairhead said: “Vanessa embodies our unbroken spirit ethos – her, dedication and commitment, not to her personal recovery both physical and mental, has been exceptional”

FIGHT BACK: RAF wife Vanessa Ruck overcame devastating injuries after a serious traffic accident to become an international dirt bike competitor.

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: Another year has passed, and Fast Bikes has had another fantastic year. A reminder of some of the fun things we did on our YouTube channel is provided below.

Way back in February, we wrapped up our R1 project series with this video on getting the most out of your engine, featuring BSB champ Taz Mackenzie. Taz even credits his BSB win to Fast Bikes editor Bruce…

Next up we sent Tim Neave along to the brilliant Snetterton Circuit for a few quick laps around the track. Filming the whole thing, Tim walks us through all his tips and tricks for how to tackle the track, so if you’re heading to Snetterton in the new year, this is a must-watch!

Then in August we met up with YouTube’s own The Girl on A Bike, Vanessa Ruck, and pushed her out of her off-road comfort zone for her first ever track day experience at Donnington Park on a Kawasaki 650.

In September, we teamed up with Michelin Tyres on a mission to find out Ultimate Used Sportsbike. We pitted the 2012 BMW HP4 Carbon, 2010 Ducati 1198S and 2013’s MV’s F4 RR against each other in an extensive road and track test. But which was the best? You’ll have to watch and find out!

And then October rolled around and it was time for the big one: Naked Sportsbike of the Year. Bruce and John test and rate the Seven Sexiest Supernakeds on the market to find their ultimate favourite. But with so much to discuss, it’s not a simple decision. Make yourself a brew, sit back, and get into it.

We’ll have plenty more fast-paced videos for you in 2023, so make sure you’re subscribed so as not to miss a single one!

For the rest of the morebikes article see here.

For the rest of the fastbikesmag 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 Bournemouth: VANESSA Ruck, a British motorcycle rider and Bournemouth graduate have completed the 1000 Dunas Raid in Morocco, making her the first female to ever finish on a standard production large-capacity adventure bike.

Battling dry riverbeds, sand, camel grass, dunes, and long distances over rough terrain every day, Ruck finished the seven-day rally with teammate Aled Price, but it was not all smooth sailing.

“Most people were there on more typical smaller rally bikes. I was part of a very small group of nutters on large motorcycles”, 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. 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.

“I was left with no choice but to continue through the dunes and remaining 180km day alone.”

She added: “As I pulled away, leaving him to be rescued, I knew I was riding for my life. Just one mistake, one drop in the deep sand could be game over.

“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… that was brutal, and the heat, and fatigue and fear builds very quickly.”

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 is a seven-day rally that is not timed but is designed to give riders the opportunity to test their roadbook navigation skills, their endurance, and their bikes.

Riders are ranked according to navigation accuracy and whether they finish each stage, and Ruck finished eighth out of 11 Hard Trail finishers.

For the rest of the Bournemouthecho 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.

Our year 9 pupils heard a motivational speech from Vanessa Ruck when she visited.

After being hit by a car while cycling in 2014, Vanessa’s world was turned upside down. Motorcycles weren’t a part of her life before the accident but have been instrumental in her recovery. She’s a rider, racer, and adventurer living which chronic pain, and is determined to make the most of every day despite her past, and help others do the same.

A few comments from the students as the talk made them feel motivated:
• “The way she spoke about her experience and the time it took her to complete her goals, she
never gave up. It was inspiring”
• “It was very real and honest”

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 express: Vanessa Ruck, alias The Girl on the Bike, refused to believe that a freak cycling accident would rob her of the extreme sports lifestyle she loved.

On episode number 27 of Express Sport’s Women in Sport series #SheCan, the Monmouthshire-based motorbike racer, rider and adventurer shared her incredible story with social media editor Laura Hartley of how the mental and physical recovery from an accident seven years ago became the catalyst to her becoming one of the most successful and pioneering female motorcyclists in the world.

On an innocuous Tuesday evening after work seven years ago, a car failed to stop a red light and hit Ruck on her bicycle while travelling to see her husband and friends for an evening of wakeboarding. 

“Like that, life as I knew it changed,” Ruck said.

Ruck said her accident wasn’t “graphic”, but she admits to feeling “shaken up” from the episode. She travelled by ambulance to hospital but was dispatched later that evening with bruising.

“Now if we fast forward seven years, because that comprises the bulk of my recovery, I’ve since had seven surgeries, including a reconstructed right shoulder and right hip,” Ruck explained. “So when you think about the implication of bruising versus the actual reality it kind of gives you an idea of the battle that it’s been.” 

It was while being bed bound after her third surgery, the first on her hip, that the idea for a motorbike first struck Ruck and after telling her husband, the purchase was made.

“It was five months until I could even sit on it, but it was there as a goal, as a reminder, in this moments when I couldn’t find the energy to even try to get out of bed or do my physio because I was hurting so much, that bike was there as a reminder, like ‘come on, Vanessa, you want to come ride me,’. That goal setting in recovery is so important.”

Despite an expectation to free herself of pain eventually, Ruck has come to the conclusion that she will never lead a pain-free life, but after a number of months spent bedridden, it is a concession she is more than willing to mould her life around. 

“I can get up, I can make the most of every day, I’m not stuck in bed anymore,” she said.  “There’s lots of things that I can’t do. If you asked me to run for a bus, like no, that’s not something my body can do. But I can adapt, I can shift, and learn different things.”

It is the mentality that has propelled her to such fantastic heights in recent months, growing her from a self-professed motorbike novice to the first female to ever finish the 1000 Dunas – a seven-day rally across the Moroccan desert – on a large capacity adventure bike. 

“It was brutal, it was absolutely incredible but my goodness, I know why I am the first female to have taken that on,” Ruck said. “You’re in the middle of the sand dunes going, what am I doing? 

“But I suppose because I’ve had such lows, and I know what being stuck in bed, staring at the same annoying bit of paint on my bedroom ceiling feels like, I’m really determined to prove to myself that I still can.”

Ruck upped the ante before the 1,500km rally had even begun, riding her Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro motorcycle from the UK to Granada, Spain (the race’s starting point) and carrying all her camping gear, tools and spares with her.

The episode is a microcosm of Ruck’s ambition to go the extra mile in all that she does. While her mission is to prove herself that she can, she is also on a mission to prove that women can. 

“As a small female in the middle of the desert who always has her mascara on, you do get the odd stereotype sometimes,” she said. “They’re judging me by my looks. They think I’m not credible, I can’t ride a motorbike, what am I doing here, this is ridiculous. But thankfully that’s only a small portion. And I’m determined to try to learn and grow and be the best version that I can be, try to learn the mechanics of my bike, be a better rider so that actually, you know what they can judge me and look at my appearance but when I get out on the bike, they’ll be like, oh, wow, girls can really do this too. So I’m on a mission.”

For the rest of the express 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 Kent Online: Vanessa Ruck from Tunbridge Wells bravely travels 180 kilometers alone to set a record at the 1000 Dunas Raid desert rally.

Ruck, who earlier this year was the first female to complete the Tunisia Desert Challenge, finishing in 35th place out of 55 entries, is now the first female to finish the 1000 Dunas Raid desert rally on a standard production large-capacity adventure bike.

It’s a seven-day rally that isn’t timed but designed to test roadbook navigation skills, endurance, and vehicle. Starting in Granada, Spain, entrants cross the Moroccan desert to Merzouga, then back to Granada for the finish covering more than 1,500km. Riders are ranked according to navigation accuracy and whether they finish each stage.

Competing on a 900cc Tiger Triumph adventure bike, Ruck tackled dry riverbeds, sand, camel grass, dunes and long distances – but when team-mate Aled Price hit trouble, she was forced to complete 180km alone, finishing eighth out of 11 hard-trail finishers.

She 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.

“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.

“I was left with no choice but to continue through the dunes and remaining 180km day alone. As I pulled away, leaving him to be rescued, I knew I was riding for my life. Just one mistake, one drop in the deep sand could be game over.

“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, that was brutal, and the heat and fatigue and fear builds very quickly.”

Most people would want weeks to prepare for such a challenge, but Ruck just jumped straight in, although she 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,” she said, “so I was determined to give it my all to get over that finish line.”

“The feeling of finishing [the] 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 shows some inspiration and encourages 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.”

For the rest of the kent online 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 Travel Pocket Guide: Vanessa just completed the 1000 DUNES RAID on a regular adventure production bike to become the first female to do so after being in a serious accident and vowing to not let her past dictate her future.

We caught up with The Girl On A Bike to talk about her accomplishments, experiences, fondest memories, and how she’s got her sights set on the biggest and most terrifying ride yet – the Morocco Desert Challenge…

Hey Vanessa, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us again, it’s always a pleasure to speak with you. Let’s get straight into things! You’ve been very busy having just broken records as the first female to finish the 1000 DUNES RAID riding on a standard adventure production bike. Firstly, congratulations! You must feel super proud?

The feeling of finishing 1000 Dunas is absolutely incredible. Male or female, getting across that finish line is an achievement. I chose to make a tough rally even more brutal by riding a huge Triumph Tiger Rally Pro adventure bike and it really was a test of mental and physical strength to just keep fighting on, even when ankle deep in sand. 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.

The 1,800km cross-country adventure took seven days to complete, and a total of 70 hours riding across unpredictable terrain such as loose rocks, ruts, riverbeds, and sand dunes. How did you prepare yourself for such a huge challenge?

A huge part of the preparation for desert rallies is the fitness and nutritional planning. Unfortunately, nothing really gets you bike fit other than time in the saddle but there is still lots to support. Stamina, endurance and strength for bike recovery can all be supported off the bike. My daily routine involves as much bike and phys as possible, but it’s not always conventional. With my reconstructed hip I’m a little limited on what sports I can do for fitness due to the pain but with my eMTB I am able to get out and get the heart racing working on my endurance. I’m then super active at home, chopping logs, working to maintain our little plot of land, DIY and even tyre flipping in the garden. Fitness to ride such long days is vital.

It’s then critical to eat well. Energy and recovery comes from what we put into our bodies, so I’m super careful to eat clean, no sugar and a high veg / protein balance. I take active collagen supplements and daily protein shakes on top of a well balanced health diet. But in race week it’s about as much calories as you can take. Riding in such intense heat means the body is burning a lot of fuel. Pre planning what my body gets on with in this environment is key. I’m a big Grenade bar, SIS gel fan and some mixed nuts/raisins for a crunch. Great taste and a huge energy kicks. Most meals on a rally I am eating until I feel sick. It’s not the most pleasant feeling but it’s the only way to ensure the body is getting enough fuel to fight on.

Was there any specific scenarios or situations which took you totally by surprise?

I would have perhaps hesitated a little more before saying “yes” to entering the 1000 Dunas on an adventure bike if I’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 900 is brave, doing it alone would have been stupid, which is why I chose to ride with Aled.

Day three we really had to dig deep! 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. I was left with no choice but to continue through the dunes and remaining 180km day alone. As I pulled away, leaving him to be rescued, I knew I was riding for my life. Just one mistake, one drop in the deep sand could be game over. 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… that was brutal, and the heat, and fatigue and fear builds very quickly

What was the most challenging part of the ride for you?

1000 Dunas organisers is all about being the ultimate test of how far you can go, and not all riders are expected to finish every single day. This makes the riding a constant battle of just fighting on. You want to stop and have a break, but you know the clock is ticking…but not the organisers clock, instead it’s a race against the sun. How far can you get before the day closes…with the paper-based roadbook navigation being super tricky, covering hard terrain and long distances, and so when night falls it becomes near impossible to continue to navigate. Darkness in the desert is a world you want to avoid! You have to get as far as possible or to a safe pull-out point before the Moroccan darkness takes over. It’s almost a feeling of being hunted, of survival.

Do you ever find yourself in a situation where you’re alone on your bike, miles from civilisation, without a mobile phone signal! What is your back-up plan in this situation should you have a mechanical breakdown?

Yes a LOT. There is something terrifying yet equally soul igniting about this feeling. You’re so vulnerable, totally alone, fully at the mercy of the desert but yet you’re totally in control. This is what you’ve trained for! Equipped with basic tools, food and survival kit you know you have some things you can handle. When things go wrong, your survival training and instincts kick in. I remember back in Tunisia in April I had a bike breakdown and it resulted in me having a pretty terrifying night in the dunes solo. I lit a fire, made a camp and lay watching the stars. While it sounds romantic, it’s definitely recalibrated my perspective on what is scary in life. The key to remember is that part of the huge entry fees for these events is to cover the tracking equipment and organisations rescue vehicles, so eventually you will get help. But the test, is to try and not need them! Riding smart, working to preserve and protect your bike, ensuring you’re doing your daily servicing each night, it’s all powerful steps to help reduce the risk of a breakdown. I can tell you, when the bike goes wrong, it’s a devastating feeling, you feel lost, alone and helpless.

You’re a true inspiration and a hero. Not only are you empowering women, but you inspire people around the world. Who do you look up to for inspiration?

The reality is I don’t really look to anyone, I just try to focus on what makes me happy. I find trying to compare my life to others doesn’t help my mental state. There are many pro riders who inspire me with their bike skills, showing what is possible if you put the work in, but there isn’t really anyone out there that is ‘who I want to be’, I just want to be me, even with my slightly reconstructed body. I am so grateful for everything in my world, my husband, family, bikes and experiences. If I can help just one person each time I share my story, that is the most energising inspiration I can get.

For the rest of the travel pocket guide 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 Total motorcycle: This year’s Motorcycle Live is your premier opportunity to see all of Triumph Motorcycles’ new models for 2023.

Be mesmerized by the new Chrome Collection and enter the counter the new Limited Editions Street Triple R, RS and Moto2TM.

Chat with the staff at the Hinckley factory, meet the Adventure Experience team in Wales and get insider tips from Tristar and adventurers from GlobeBusters.

Join us on the Triumph stage for the unveiling of the Street Triple range, and hear from 1000 Dunas finisher Vanessa Ruck and Jody Millhouse from Thornton Hundred as well as meet and greet opportunities with racing legends.

There’s also the chance to win instant prizes, configure your next Triumph, take a test ride on the road or at the Experience Adventure and more.

BRING A TOUCH OF 1930 STYLE AND SOPHISTICATION TO MOTORCYCLE LIVE

With up to an additional five hours of craftsmanship per bike, including three hours of hand polishing, the new Chrome Collection is set to turn heads at this year’s Motorcycle Live.

The new category benchmark will be on full display offering up class leading power and the ultimate in Street Triple handling, technology and aggressive attitude.
Join us at 11am on Saturday 19 November where we will unveil the new Street Triple range.

The new Street Triple range has something for everyone, from the new Street Triple R, the new definitive streetfighter, to the Street Triple RS, which sets a whole new benchmark for performance and specification, to the Street Triple Moto2TM limited edition.

For the rest of the Total Motorcycle 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 Norfolk Wire: Vanessa Ruck, a British motorcycle rider and UK based adventurer, has completed the 1000 DUNAS RAID in Morocco, making her the first female to ever finish on a standard production large-capacity adventure bike.

According to the 1000 Dunas organisers, 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 paper-based roadbook navigation is tricky, the terrain is hard, and the distances are long.

“Most people were there on more typical smaller rally bikes. I was part of a very small group of nutters on large motorcycles”, Vanessa says. The terrain was incredibly challenging at times and recovering a bike over 3 times your body weight in soft sand presents a real struggle. “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. I was left with no choice but to continue through the dunes and remaining 180km day alone. As I pulled away, leaving him to be rescued, I knew I was riding for my life. Just one mistake, one drop in the deep sand could be game over. 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… that was brutal, and the heat, and fatigue and fear builds very quickly”, Vanessa explains.

The Adventure of a Thousand Dunes

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 that isn’t timed but is designed to give riders the opportunity to test their roadbook navigation skills, their endurance, and their bikes. Riders are ranked according to navigation accuracy and whether they finish each stage, and Vanessa came in 8^th out of eleven Hard Trail finishers.

Vanessa – also known as ‘The Girl on a Bike’ 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 familiarising herself with the bike off-road at Triumph Adventure Experience in Spain, did some minor tweaks on the Tiger, and lined up at the 1000 Dunas start.

Most would want weeks to prepare but Vanessa just jumped straight in. 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 Vanessa covered the distance and made it to the finish line every single day, although teammate Aled Price completed 6 of the 7 days due to a mechanical issue leaving Vanessa to brave the barren desert 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 Triumph 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.

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.

“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.

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 1000 Dunas was no mean feat!

Who is Vanessa Ruck?

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 now competed in numerous rallies, 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.

Vanessa 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.”

And Vanessa isn’t giving up any time soon. “I refuse to let what happened in my past completely control my future, she asserts. “Yes, I could have less pain if I didn’t push my body as much. But my mental pain would be worse. Getting up and getting out there and managing the pain, I can take control of my mental state and get the satisfaction and the energy from it to manage the rest.”

For the rest of the Norfolk Wire 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.