As seen in The Tag24: Sky, Vanessa Ruck’s tiny dog, had been too exhausted to continue on a wet journey, which she had planned to pedal for at least 10 kilometers.

“Seen a dog on a bike?” her now-viral clip is captioned.

“I’m going to show you what Sky does when she’s tired,” Rusk says into the camera.

Then she asks, “Sky, do you want a lift?” As the pup walks towards her, Ruck says, “That means yes!”

Then, the duo shows users “How to get a dog on a bike” – by putting the pooch in the backpack!

The cyclist kneels in front of the animal to help her get her little legs in the bag after being exhausted from the miles she’s already run by herself on their biking adventure.

Then, Ruck straps on the backpack, and Sky hilariously hitches a ride for the rest of the journey!

“She can run when’s got the energy and have a rest on my back when she doesn’t,” Ruck says in the video. “She loves it!”

Dog in a bike backpack wows millions on TikTok

The TikTok video has received 1.1 million clicks and counting since it was posted, and has gotten hundreds more on Instagram. “This absolutely made my entire week!” one TikToker commented.

“That is adorable,” wrote another. “So cute and wholesome,” commented a third.

It’s normally not so messy” to get Sky in the bag, Ruck explained to her followers.

Regardless, the video pedaling some doggy fun has brought joy to users worldwide.

For the rest of the Tag24 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 Newsweek: The video, which was shared to TikTok on Tuesday by Vanessa Ruck, depicts Sky the dog attempting and ultimately succeeding in climbing into her owner’s bag while being taken for a bike ride in the forest.

Since being posted, the video has received 1.1 million views and more than 120,000 likes from TikTokers.

How Do I Know if My Dog Is Too Tired?

Although walks are crucial for a dog’s mental and physical health, it’s not uncommon for older dogs or breeds with small legs to get tired on long journeys.

Nell Ostermeier—a veterinarian and American Kennel Club (AKC) spokesperson—told Newsweek that dogs show obvious signs when they are too tired or uncomfortable to continue a walk.

“Typical signs include lagging behind on the leash, heavier or more consistent panting, dragging their hind feet and stopping to sit down or lay down during a walk,” she said.

Older dogs also need more help regulating their body temperature, so it’s extra important to monitor their activity level.

“In these cases, the pet owner won’t know until after the fact that it was a bit too much exercise,” Ostermeier said. “The dog will act sore, have difficulty getting up and down, appear stiff when moving, or sleep for a long period of time.

“If this happens, it means that during the next walk, exercise or pay session, the dog owner will need to be vigilant and end the session earlier.”

For dogs with weak or wobbly limbs, Ostermeier recommends booties with toe grips or traction. She also says owners of senior dogs should take their pet for a walk at least twice a day—one for joint lubrication and muscle strength, and another just for fun—but tailor the time limit to your dog’s age and mobility.

If your small dog is struggling, Ostermeier urges picking them up and carrying them home, especially if they have arthritis or a musculoskeletal condition.

“It is best not to push them and to give them a ‘lift’ instead,” she said.

‘My Chariot Please, Mummy’

Filmed during a break in a 10-mile bike ride through a forest, in the video, Vanessa asks Sky if she would like a lift, with the terrier trotting over. “The fact that she’s walked towards me means ‘Yes, mummy, I’m tired,'” Vanessa says. “She’s run a good couple of miles [and] she has teeny legs.” Sky then attempts to climb into Vanessa’s empty backpack, but can’t quite figure it out, jumping in, front feet first.

“You’re not doing a very good job,” Vanessa says to the dog. “Is this your ‘I’m tired’ attempt to get in the bag?'”

Vanessa then picks up Sky and drops her in bottom first, but she sits down in the wrong place. “I’m doing it on camera, and you’re doing it all wrong,” Vanessa says, laughing. Fortunately, the third time’s the charm, and once her dog is safely secured, Vanessa puts the bag on her back, and the pair hop on her bike. The bag has a gap for Sky’s head to poke through, with the terrier seemingly enjoying the ride.

For the rest of the Newsweek 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.

Wired for Adventure: When a bicycle accident threatened to derail the adventurous life she loved, Vanessa Ruck – aka The Girl on a Bike – refused to take it lying down. Instead, she handled things the only way she knows how. Dusting herself off, she put herself back together. And then she upped the ante.

Vanessa Ruck is a force of nature. Even via Zoom, her energy and intensity are palpable. As the image of her striking eyes and wild, blonde hair fills the computer screen, lioness-like, I check myself. Have I brough my A-game? Because anything less just won’t do. That’s how Vanessa lives her life: all in, or nothing at all.

“Skydiving didn’t scare me as much as I hoped it would,” she reveals, matter-of-factly. “I didn’t find it that exciting – but snowboarding, rock climbing, wakeboarding!?,” her face lights up. If ever anyone was Wired For Adventure, it’s Vanessa.

Free range

Raised on a healthy diet of outdoor activities and British weather, Vanessa spent much of her childhood roaming free and exploring near her family home in XXX. “I was fortunate that we grew up around horses and ponies, so that gave me a lot of focus and responsibility. If it was wet and cold, you put the right clothes on and you played outside. I’d be in trouble if I ever said I was bored, because boredom is a lack of imagination,” she laughs. “Our holidays were always to Wales. Boogie boarding, rock-pooling, playing in the sea, kayaking, riding bikes. I was incredibly lucky to have such an active, outdoorsy upbringing.”

As she grew, so did her love of adventure. University provided the perfect opportunity to push her limits and Vanessa found a whole new level to exploring the outdoors. “There was this shining, magical new world of possibilities, she beams. “I realised there was even more adventure out there than I ever knew before. It was like taking my love of sports and discovering there’s even more extreme versions of this fun.”  Alongside growing her passion for extreme sports like wakeboarding and snowboarding, Vanessa got to experience a real-life adventure paradise, working for a marine biology research centre and sustainability school in the Bahamas. “Suddenly I was on this a remote island being asked if I wanted to go scuba diving, spearfishing, do shark research, or take a bunch of kids on a seven-day kayaking trip,” she recalls, excitedly. “Really, really amazing, adventurous stuff.” She also bought her first motorbike to help her get around the island.

Twists of fate

When Vanessa returned to the UK and met her perfect partner, Alex, their shared passion for the outdoors blossomed into something beautiful. “Meeting somebody very similar to me – adventurous, motivated, driven, outdoorsy, competitive, the two of us came together and even more possibilities came out of that,” she grins.

After their first date rock climbing in Portland, Vanessa and her now-husband Alex embarked on an insatiable, adrenaline-fueled quest for fun, mastering new skills like kitesurfing and exploring far-off places together. “We’d both cycle to work every day on our bikes, go to the gym at lunchtime, meet after work at the wakeboarding lake, and chase the wind all weekend kitesurfing,” she says, wistfully. “Our holidays revolved around those kinds of sports, too – snowkiting on frozen lakes in Michigan, rock climbing in Spain, snowboarding in Wyoming, Andorra, and France, kitesurfing in Egypt, Morocco, Western Sahara, Brazil …” Life couldn’t have been better for this young adventure-lover.

It was an evening commute just like any other in March 2014 when all this came to a crashing halt. An oncoming car ran a red light at a junction, ploughing across Vanessa’s path and cutting her up. There was nothing Vanessa could do to avoid the collision. As her bike smashed into the car’s rear passenger panel, her shoulder took the full force of the impact. Then her body hit the tarmac hard with the bike still attached to her cycling cleats.    

“Time was different. I could feel my heartbeat. My pulse was thumping through my veins, and my surroundings were almost a blur,” she recalls. “Then reality kicked in with a bang. I could hear traffic, car doors, and people crowding around me, voices asking if I was okay. I didn’t even know if I was okay at that point.”

Vanessa was taken to hospital where her injuries were assessed, and she was discharged later that evening with inflammation, bruising, and strict instructions to rest. It would be months of pain before the full extent of her injuries were understood, and seven separate surgeries over several years to get her body anywhere near back to working order. Even now, eight years on, Vanessa still deals with daily pain and restricted movement from the reconstructive surgery on her hip and shoulder. It would have been easy to swap a life of adventure for one of self-pity and Netflix, but that’s not how Vanessa rolls.     “When I was about six or seven, my mom was incredibly ill for about seven years,” she reveals. “She was in and out of hospital and spent a lot of time in bed. She ended up having two major surgeries where she actually said goodbye to me and my brother, because there was a 50/50 chance she wouldn’t make it. Seeing my mum, she never gave up. I took a lot of energy from that and the fact that you just have to keep going. The accident changed my life. It took a lot away from me that I didn’t have control over. But so much of life we do have control over. It’s about having that overcome mindset to look at the situation and go ‘right, what can I do to improve this?’”

Back in the saddle

Vanessa worked hard at her recovery, going to physio religiously, eating well, taking supplements, and resting when she needed. But although all these things were beneficial for her body, the adrenaline junky in her still craved its next fix.

“The motorbiking idea came about because it was something both Alex and I could still do together,” she explains. “It became a new way to experience adventure and freedom, the adrenaline, the wind in my hair, without needing to actually do anything except sit on what was essentially a sofa on wheels.”

The accident had taken its toll on Vanessa mentally as well as physically, leaving her with a fear of the road and something called ‘change disorder’ – a condition where you no longer recognise yourself as ‘you’. It took several weeks and a lot of crying into her helmet before she could get up the courage to leave the driveway, but her first motorcycle adventure was well worth it.

“The first time we went camping on the bikes was really the catalyst for everything,” she smiles. “We rode six miles from the house because that’s all my body could manage. It was a beautiful Friday evening in the Chilterns, the sun was shining, we lit a fire and had some steak and wine. And I just remember thinking how alive I felt. Pre-accident, that would have been the lamest Friday night ever, but for where I was in my journey, it was huge. I wasn’t stuck looking at the paint on my bedroom ceiling. I was out there!”

Over the next few years, Vanessa did over 20,000 miles on her Harley around Europe with Alex, travelling through 15 different countries. As her body grew stronger and her confidence soared, the familiar urge for something more challenging began to surface and Vanessa turned her attention to a different kind of riding. One that was sure to get the heart racing and adrenaline pumping. “I was bed bound after my fifth surgery, and I came up with this idea that I wanted to ride off-road,” she explains. “My husband is crazy supportive, so we went out and got me this little WR 250. It was five months before I could even sit on it, but it stayed in the corner as a goal for those days when I really hurt, couldn’t find the energy to get out of bed, or just couldn’t be bothered with my physio. The bike was a reminder of what I was working towards and what I wanted to do.”

Vanessa’s self-confessed motto is ‘go big or go home’. If something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing to the extreme. It’s no surprise, then, that she fell in love with off-road riding. Gradually, she progressed from local green lanes to international rally competitions that call for some of the toughest, most skilful endurance riding in the world.  

“I wanted more of the adrenaline, the sweat, the pain and that’s when the idea of going off-road kind of escalated,” she confesses. “My body hurts. That’s just something I live with. When I’m on a motorbike in those kinds of extreme conditions, I simply don’t have the capacity to be focusing on my pain, so I find it extra exhilarating. It’s freeing.”

Extreme queen

Some of the biggest races she’s entered include Red Bull Romaniacs, a hardcore enduro rally through the Carpathian Mountains, which involves riding over logs, rocks, massive hill climbs, and being fit enough to pick your bike up over and over again. She’s also ridden the Rally du Maroc, a five-day desert rally in Morocco, and the Tunisia Desert Challenge, an eight-day moving bivouac extreme Rally Raid similar to the infamous Dakar. Vanessa was the first female ever to enter the race and came 35^th out of 55 riders.

“It was brutal,” she admits. “One day there was 75km of dunes. You could look in every direction and there was nothing as far as the eye can see. All you have is a compass bearing to follow. It’s pretty intense stuff.”

Besides the risk of getting lost or injured out in there in the desert, there’s one danger even the most capable riders and navigators must face: breakdowns. “It was about 5:30 In the afternoon. I’d been riding for 11 and a half hours, and I had about 45 minutes of sunlight left when my bike failed,” Vanessa recalls. “I ended up having a night in the dunes with a campfire. I’ll be honest, it was it was quite scary. But I’m really proud of myself because I used all the tools had with me – thankfully, they force you to carry a survival kit – and made myself as comfortable as possible and then I just sat there, doing a lot of mindfulness to rationalise the situation and stay calm.” After being rescued by race organisers, Vanessa wasted no time getting stuck back into the rally. But her second bike malfunction the following day almost cost her her life. After several hours of being stuck in 45-degree desert heat with no source of shade and limited supplies, signs of severe dehydration started to set in.

“My head started to really hurt. It was like I had my motorcycle helmet on and someone was hitting me with a stick,” she winces. “The wind picked up and I was struggling to breathe. I managed to get my scarf around my head, and I was lying in the foetal position next to my bike to make a pocket of air. I went through the situation in my head, and it was then that I realised, ‘I’m not okay.” Fighting through panic and disorientation, Vanessa pressed the emergency call button on the bike to summon help. She’d been stranded in the desert for seven hours by this point and things were getting serious. A fellow competitor had died two days before in similar conditions.

After being rescued by helicopter, Vanessa was taken to the bivouac and put on painkillers and a drip. “They were pretty scared when they found me. I remember lying there in the medical tent. I had three or four doctors running around me, and they were not calm,” she admits. “I woke up in the middle of the night having horrific night terrors about being stuck in a desert and I thought, ‘that’s it. I’m done.’ I could not handle being stuck in the desert again and I’d obviously taken off way more than I could chew.” Things always look better in the morning, however, and true to form, Vanessa got back on her bike the next day and went on to finish the race.

“I’m really proud of myself,” she beams. “I didn’t have to be there. I didn’t have to take on that challenge. I wanted to grow and become better as a person by signing up to do the race. It might have been the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and I might have cried more in a week than I probably cried in my life, but I still chose to be there. And I didn’t want to quit. It was an amazing feeling going over that finish line.

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.”

Article as seen on Bradon Forest: All students in the school were treated to an inspirational assembly with Vanessa as part of her free school workshops offered.

Vanessa, otherwise known as The Girl on a Bike, was hit by a car in 2014 and has had to endure 7 operations to piece her body back together. Continually fighting to overcome the pain and fear, she has taken up motorbike enduro racing and regularly posts her achievements and obstacles to show all sides of recovery.

All students in the school were treated to an assembly and then Vanessa led smaller workshops with invited students to work through goal setting.

For the rest of the BradonForest 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.

Article as seen in print magazine ADV Moto by J.M. Staelens

“If you had told me six or seven years ago that in a few years’ time and so many surgeries later, that I’d be racing motorbikes, I probably would have choked on my drink.” In 2014, Vanessa Ruck had a horrific life-changing bicycle accident when she got hit by a car running a red light, turning her world upside down.

A long, arduous journey on the road to recovery ensued, with lots of reconstructive shoulders and hip surgery and years of intensive rehab therapy. Although Vanessa realized that physically she would never be the same again, she never stopped believing in her ability to overcome the catastrophic setback and pursue an active lifestyle again.

Fast forward and today Vanessa is a professional adventure rider and enduro/rally raid racer with growing fame after racing in the Red Bull Romaniacs Hard Enduro and the Tunisia Desert Challenge, two of the world’s most grueling offroad races.

While living in the Bahamas in her early twenties, Vanessa bought her first motorcycle, a Chinese Lifan 250 trail bike, the only affordable means of transport available to her. She had never ridden a motorcycle before, but that didn’t deter her in the slightest, because “Others can ride bikes, how hard can it be?”. After returning to the UK, motorcycles disappeared from her radar with kite surfing, snow/wakeboarding, mountain biking, and climbing taking up all of her free time.

It was only in the aftermath of the accident that she decided to get a road bike, a Suzuki 600 Bandit, for her daily commute to work, as she wasn’t ready yet to resume cycling. For her honeymoon, she and her husband Alex toured Texas on two rental Harley-Davidson’s, which led to buying a couple of Harley’s in the UK to travel in Europe with.

While being bedridden after another operation, Vanessa woke up one day to the idea of getting a dirt bike. The Yamaha WR250F sat in her garage for five months before she could even sit on it: “It was sitting there as a goal. Something to strive towards, help motivate me on those days where the pain just made me want to quit. Once I was able, I was buzzing around on it. It was just gentle green lanes near home.” Alas, more surgery was required, and she realized she needed a lighter bike: a KTM 200 EXC 2-stroke followed by her current 2020 Husqvarna TE 250i.

Q: You cover the spectrum of road, dirt and ADV riding, and you progressed quickly to enduro’s and rally raid racing. You must be a competitive person. Was racing a deliberate decision early on?
VR: No, not at all. Things just evolved. However, I always strive to be the best in what I do, and so I’m competitive at trying to beat myself at how I was yesterday.

And when it came to motorbikes, that’s what happened. At the beginning, I had no idea there was so much out there in the world of motorbikes, I didn’t even know there were all these different types of racing. I just saw a motorbike as a motorbike. Only when I started riding, I gradually discovered these different areas. For example, after I had started green laning, I realized that a 250 was a bit big and heavy and risky for my hip during rehabilitation.

I wanted to find a way to be on a motorbike a bit sooner after surgery, something lighter to hone my riding skills, and that’s when I discovered trials riding. After my fourth hip surgery, a full reconstruction, I got a Beta Evo 125 trials bike. For two months I practiced static balancing in my garage, as I couldn’t ride yet. In the end I managed to balance for fifteen minutes.

Trials riding improved my riding skills hugely and this translates to hard enduro. All the different styles of riding complement each other. My ability to push a big adventure bike offroad, I wouldn’t be able to do that if I hadn’t had time on a trials bike. It really enabled me to focus on clutch and throttle control and balancing so that I can keep a big bike upright.

Q: The subtitle of the Tunisia Desert Challenge is Extreme Rally Raid, and your experiences during the race were indeed extreme (see videos in TDC link below). What lessons have you learned that are useful for adventure riding?

VR: An extreme challenge like the TDC puts everything in perspective. It really shifts your perspective. What you once thought was hard, is not really hard. When you think you’re tired, you’re not really tired. It makes you realize that the only way to grow is to push yourself beyond imagined limits, to put yourself out of your comfort zone. And ADV riding does that too, as it is always a challenge.
Another lesson I learned is the importance of preparation. Spending the night alone in the Sahara after being stranded brought the message home.

I learned why in a rally carrying a comprehensive safety kit is compulsory and that it’s important to know how to use every item. Going on an adventure, there are always things that’ll go wrong, and guaranteed there’s going to be something that you wished you carried but didn’t. Or you’re going to have to adapt what you’re carrying to whatever it is that you’re facing as that is the nature of what happens on the road. The most important thing is to not quit, to keep going, even if it’s only baby steps, you’re still making progress. And by having the right preparation and tools, you’re increasing your capability of just keeping on going. Having the right food with you, the emergency electrolyte or protein bar, all those sort of things that give you energy to keep you moving.

Q: You’re also a motivational speaker and mental health advocate. What inspirational message can you share with us?

RV: Not allowing your past to define your future. There are a lot of people who are anxious, weighed down, and restricted by stuff that happened in their past. They fall back on excuses not to do things. If you take my situation, I live in managed pain, I’ve got two reconstructed body parts, and I’m very aware of it as I live with the pain on a daily basis, but I refuse to let that be an excuse. I do everything I can to not let it stop me trying things, trying to grow, trying to find a way around excuses. Ask yourself what’s in your control, what can you do to improve your situation and get rid of those excuses. Don’t let your past define your future.

The comments on her popular social media channels are testimony to the fact that Vanessa’s touching story leaves few unmoved. How her courage, perseverance, and indomitable spirit enabled her to overcome adversity is a source of inspiration for many. Vanessa’s tale exemplifies how motorcycles can be instrumental in giving someone a new lease on life, which we all know to be true. We hope Vanessa’s future adventures will keep us entertained and inspired for many years to come.

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 dirthub: With the 1000 DUNAS RAID in Spain, a British motorbike rider, racer, and explorer Vanessa Ruck, 36, is pushing herself to new heights. This weekend, between Granada, Spain, and Rabat, Morocco, Vanessa, commonly known as “The Girl on a Bike,” will participate in the challenge while riding a Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro motorcycle.

The 1,200km cross-country rally raid will take several days to complete and involves traveling across unpredictable terrain, with loose rocks, ruts, riverbeds, and sand dunes to masterfully navigate. A roadbook is provided to traverse the route, putting navigational know-how to the ultimate test, while a wrong turn could land the rider in serious trouble. Mechanical and riding skills are critical to finishing the epic challenge.

Vanessa found her love for motorbikes seven years ago while recovering from a cycling accident. After a lengthy recovery involving multiple surgeries, she found a new way to quench her thirst for adventure with motorcycling, and never looked back. Having no previous rally experience, Vanessa became the first woman to have ever competed in the Tunisia Desert Challenge and has competed in numerous rallies since, including the notorious Red Bull Romaniacs, Qatar Baja, and Rallye du Maroc.

She has since made it her mission to break barriers and expectations, whether through upskilling her knowledge of motorcycle mechanics or mastering unforgiving terrain. If she completes the 1000 DUNAS challenge Vanessa will be the first female competitor to ride a standard adventure bike.

Ms. Ruck commented, “THE 1000 DUNAS RAID is a momentous challenge, not simply due to the terrain, which is physically enduring, but also the mental strain it takes to navigate the route. I’ve chosen the Tiger 900 Rally Pro as it is the ideal companion for me to step up the challenge and push the limits of what both motorbikes and I can do.”

With its generous ground clearance, excellent power-to-weight ratio, dedicated high-specification Showa suspension setup, sump guard and engine protection, rally offroad pro mode which disables ABS and traction control, and lightweight Brembo Stylema brakes, the Tiger 900 are as comfortable off-road as it is on. This is fortunate as Vanessa will ride the motorcycle from home in Wales to Granada, an epic 1,200-mile trip, before even starting the 1000 DUNAS RAID.

Before starting, Vanessa will spend some time at the Triumph Adventure Experience in Spain making minor adjustments to the stock Tiger 900 to ensure its versatility and reliability throughout the rally, including dialing in the suspension and fitting off-road focused tires as well as removing weight for speed and making deep sand recovery easier. She’ll be bringing essential equipment and spares such as oil filters, tires, and brake fluid, preparing her for various potential outcomes, while her bed for the night will be a simple bivouac tent.

For the rest of the DirtHub 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 Dirthub: Vanessa Ruck, alias The Girl on a Bike, was determined not to let a cycling tragedy ruin her love of an adventurous lifestyle. Instead, she handled things in the best possible manner for her. She collected herself after brushing herself off. Then she raised the stakes.

Vanessa Ruck, who started riding motorcycles following a mental and physical recovery, became the first woman to ever enter one of the toughest races in the world in April, and she’s just done it again. Travelling across Europe to compete against others with the gumption to show up to a 1500 km off-road roadbook race in Croatia and Bosnia, the UK based adventurer fought on despite the chronic hip pain she lives with from her past, battling days of up to 375km of gruelling off road terrain, to make the finish.

Competitors are navigating but also tackling the rugged and rocky terrain of the Dinaric Alps. The tricky navigation means following a series of symbols and pictures on a scrolling piece of paper mounted to the bars, called a road book. Road book navigation events, such as the infamous Paris Dakar, are far more than just riding. You have to navigate accurately, retaining mental and physical focus for upwards of 10-12 hours of racing, and do this off road day after day. Could you stay calm on your own in the middle of nowhere, digging deep into energy reserves with only the supplies you can carry?

With a 31% attrition rate from 123 riders at the start, simply finishing was an accomplishment. But Vanessa was fighting for more. She came 37th overall, 20th in her class, and 2nd fastest of the nine female riders. The terrain varied considerably across the 6 days, with hard jagged rocks bouncing the bike relentlessly, rolling grass meadows hiding hidden boulders, winding forest tracks with whipping branches, and the toughest of all…hard pack with loose stones.

This inconsistent stony terrain was more akin to riding on ice, with the bike’s rubber tyres easily losing traction and sliding, an unnerving feeling for even an experienced rider. The longest day saw Vanessa enduring over 10 hours on the bike. Considering she prepared her first rally road notes just under a year ago and was a complete novice just 6 years ago, that’s an incredible finish!

Vanessa discovered the mental relief that the freedom of two wheels brings to life following her collision with a red-light-jumping-car. She was diagnosed with multiple mental heath disorders, including fear of the road, and has faced 7 traumatic surgeries to reconstruct her hip and shoulder. All as a result of a total stranger’s momentary lapse of judgment. We spoke with Vanessa and she joked that “If you had told me six or seven years ago that in a few years’ time and so many surgeries later, that I’d be racing motorbikes, I probably would have choked on my drink.”

Back in 2016, while being bedridden after another operation, Vanessa woke up one day to the idea of getting a dirt bike. It was five months until she could ride it, but determination and goal setting had her fixated. Months, years of rehabilitation, never giving up, a lot of mindfulness, certainly many bad days, and a huge handful of stubbornness saw Vanessa saddling up as soon as her body was able. Vanessa’s journey has not been smooth, with pain now a daily feature in her life but what she has learned is that it’s vital to never let your past control your future. “Yes, I’ll never fully escape my past, but I sure will find ways to adapt, to get rid of my own excuses and fight on. I’ll never run again, but hey, who needs to run when you have a motorcycle!”

Vanessa’s story is one of true resilience and utter determination so it’s no surprise to her social media followers that she smashed another international race! 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 Croatia and Bosnia was no mean feat!

For the rest of the Dirthub news 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 Monmouthshire Beacon: Vanessa Ruck, alias The Girl on a Bike, was determined not to let a cycling tragedy ruin her love of an adventurous lifestyle. Instead, she handled things in the best possible manner for her.

Travelling across Europe to compete against others with the gumption to show up to a 1500 km off-road roadbook race in Croatia and Bosnia, the Monmouthshire based adventurer fought on despite the chronic hip pain she lives with from her past, battling days of up to 375km of gruelling off road terrain, to make the finish.

Competitors are navigating but also tackling the rugged and rocky terrain of the Dinaric Alps. The tricky navigation means following a series of symbols and pictures on a scrolling piece of paper mounted to the bars, called a road book.

Road book navigation events, such as the infamous Paris Dakar, are far more than just riding. You have to navigate accurately, retaining mental and physical focus for upwards of 10-12 hours of racing, and do this off road day after day. Could you stay calm on your own in the middle of nowhere, digging deep into energy reserves with only the supplies you can carry?

With a 31% attrition rate from 123 riders at the start, simply finishing was an accomplishment. But Vanessa was fighting for more. She came 37th overall, 20th in her class, and 2nd fastest of the nine female riders. The terrain varied considerably across the 6 days, with hard jagged rocks bouncing the bike relentlessly, rolling grass meadows hiding hidden boulders, winding forest tracks with whipping branches, and the toughest of all…hard pack with loose stones.

This inconsistent stony terrain was more akin to riding on ice, with the bike’s rubber tyres easily losing traction and sliding, an unnerving feeling for even an experienced rider. The longest day saw Vanessa enduring over 10 hours on the bike. Considering she prepared her first rally road notes just under a year ago and was a complete novice just 6 years ago, that’s an incredible finish!

Vanessa discovered the mental relief that the freedom of two wheels brings to life following her collision with a red-light-jumping-car. She was diagnosed with multiple mental heath disorders, including fear of the road, and has faced 7 traumatic surgeries to reconstruct her hip and shoulder. All as a result of a total stranger’s momentary lapse of judgment. We spoke with Vanessa and she joked that “If you had told me six or seven years ago that in a few years’ time and so many surgeries later, that I’d be racing motorbikes, I probably would have choked on my drink.”

Back in 2016, while being bedridden after another operation, Vanessa woke up one day to the idea of getting a dirt bike. It was five months until she could ride it, but determination and goal setting had her fixated. Months, years of rehabilitation, never giving up, a lot of mindfulness, certainly many bad days, and a huge handful of stubbornness saw Vanessa saddling up as soon as her body was able. Vanessa’s journey has not been smooth, with pain now a daily feature in her life but what she has learned is that it’s vital to never let your past control your future. “Yes, I’ll never fully escape my past, but I sure will find ways to adapt, to get rid of my own excuses and fight on. I’ll never run again, but hey, who needs to run when you have a motorcycle!”

Vanessa really is a force to be reckoned with. From bed bound to international racing in some of the toughest conditions, it really does prove that anything is possible if you put the work in! Learn, train, seek advice and set your goals. We can do incredible things!

Vanessa’s story is one of true resilience and utter determination so it’s no surprise to her social media followers that she smashed another international race! 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 Croatia and Bosnia was no mean feat!

For the rest of the Monmouthshire Beacon news 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.

For UK-based rider and racer Vanessa Ruck, motorcycles provided a lifeline in the darkest

times. Now, her horizons are widening ever further as she reaches new heights on the Pan America, and rode to the Slovenia H.O.G. Rally.

Motorcycle rider, racer and adventurer Vanessa Ruck is attending her first Harley Owners Group® event – the highly anticipated 29th European H.O.G. Rally in beautiful Portorož, Slovenia. So, what’s her verdict? “It’s so exciting! I knew how much soul and love there is in the world of HarleyDavidson, but I don’t think I’ve ever been so close to it.

The amount of bikes; the energy, the time, the passion, the detail that people put into them – it’s just absolutely incredible.”
For Vanessa, one of the highlights of the H.O.G. Rally has been taking part in the Harley® parade, which was led by H-D legend Karen Davidson (“She’s such a badass. I’ve got a little bit of a girl crush!”) and saw thousands of bikes winding through the stunning surroundings of the Slovenian coastline all there for the H.O.G. Rally.

Vanessa was inspired by the number of female riders taking part. “It’s really powerful – really cool to see. And hopefully next year and the year after there’s going to be an increasing number.”

The idea of progress – of taking steps forward – is close to Vanessa’s heart. Rewind to 2014 and she was riding high, putting in the hours as a PR professional but making the most of every opportunity to pursue high-octane pursuits outside of work. “I was an adrenaline junkie.

Weekends were for kite surfing, or rock climbing, snowboarding, mountain biking…you get the idea.”
That all changed when a car ran a red light while Vanessa was cycling to work. She suffered severe injuries and has undergone multiple surgeries in the years since, including shoulder and hip reconstructions. However, the mental recovery has proven tougher.

“It shook everything I knew. I would describe the following seven years as a rollercoaster – not a fun one.”

It was fairly early on during Vanessa’s recovery that she found herself thinking about motorcycles. She had dabbled with bikes before, having used one to get around during a university term abroad spent in a remote part of the Bahamas. She subsequently got her licence upon returning to the UK, but still didn’t see herself as a biker.

Now, it seemed a practical option and would be suitable for her commute, so without further ado,she went on eBay and found a Suzuki Bandit 600 for sale in her town. It was in good condition, so she went to see it the next day and promptly snapped it up.

So far, so good, but what about actually taking to the road once more, after what had happened? “I can’t deny how scary it was getting back on the bike the first time, or the 10th time, or the 50th,” says Vanessa. “But there was an element of pure stubborn determination.

And I grew up with horses. With horses, when you fall off you get back on.” She also found mindfulness to be really helpful: “I have learned that I am in way more control than I ever thought over what is in my mind. If a bad thought comes in, it’s not about getting angry with yourself; it’s just redirecting it.”

Little by little Vanessa faced her fears. Little by little, Vanessa faced her fears and started to get out on the bike more often. Her husband, Alex, also had his licence, and on their honeymoon they rented Harleys in Texas. It was the memories of this trip that would lead Vanessa to arrange an anniversary surprise for Alex some time later, when he was away serving with the RAF in Afghanistan.

She arranged to rent two Harleys from their local dealership, Oxford Harley-Davidson – a Street Bob for her and a HD Forty-Eight Sportster for Alex. “We had no intention to buy. We were just going to go out for a ride, then take them back and walk away…but Harley has something that just gets you. We went from zero intention to ordering two in a week! It was hands-down the best decision we made in my mental health recovery.”

Vanessa’s 2015 Street Bob – soon christened ‘Thug’ – proved to be revelatory. “The Harley basically made me realise that actually, I could have a bit of adventure without needing to be physically fit and able. It gave me a new focus; it showed me a whole new world.”

Vanessa rode whenever she could, racking up thousands of miles over the next few years both at home and abroad – including a Harley-Davidson tour to Croatia – and when her physical condition made it too painful to ride, she would spend time in the garage customising her beloved Harley Thug: adjusted suspension, new seats, a Stage III engine upgrade and an eyecatching vinyl wrap in matte metallic blue.

Write up following the H.O.G. Rally in Slovenia as seen in The Enthusiast magazine.

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.