“I’ve learnt what’s important and what’s worth fighting for,” Vanessa Ruck said as she reflected on her journey to recovery following her accident. Having just arrived in Wales after moving house, she joined us over video chat to share her story on how she became known as ‘The Girl on a Bike’.

Vanessa has always been “incredibly sporty and active” with a thirst for adrenaline. In the past, she found ways to fit her love for sports around a full-time job. She cycled 16-miles to work daily and filled the rest of her time with a range of activities; from kitesurfing to climbing. However, six years ago her life dramatically changed.

 In March 2014, Vanessa finished work and began cycling to her local wakeboarding lake. At the time it felt like a “standard Tuesday” as she looked forward to her evening ahead, pedalling hard. She was cruising along, happy to see that the approaching traffic light was signalling green. But, as she proceeded a car pulled out in front of her, jumping the red light: “There was nothing that I could do to avoid it. In less than a second my whole life took a turn.” She hit the car’s rear passenger panel with her right shoulder taking most of the impact. It was then that she felt her body “crumple” and collapsed to the ground. A few passers-by helped get her to safety where she awaited an ambulance; shouting out of pain and frustration: “Why? … it was a green light!”

After the accident, Vanessa had no real idea of how severe her injuries were. Feeling shaken, she was sent home from A&E and instructed to rest. Despite the amount of pain her body was in, she was “under the disillusion that it was all going to be fine” and remained hopeful that there would not be any long-term implications.

Since the accident, she has had a total of seven complex operations. This includes a full shoulder reconstruction and five hip surgeries. In addition, she has had a variety of treatments – countless steroid injections, hydrotherapy, osteopathy and much more. Beyond the physical implications, Vanessa has been on a journey with her emotions. She experienced numerous low points as she had to come to terms with the changes in her body. “I suffered from something called ‘change disorder’ and post-accident I would refer to myself in the third-person”, she explained acknowledging that she was unable to relate to what had happened.

Despite building herself up, Vanessa would be constantly knocked down again by the news that she needed more operations. She says “It was like finishing a marathon only to be told that you have another to do.”

“THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL WAS CONSTANTLY MOVING FURTHER BACK.”

Whilst her recovery is not over, she now believes that the light at the end of the tunnel is in sight, despite being “95% certain” that she’ll need a full hip replacement in 3-5 years. Her positive mindset shined through as she explained to us that even though her hip is a “ticking time bomb,” she wishes to carry on as she is; taking on life’s obstacles as and when they come to her.

Motorcycles played a significant part in Vanessa’s recovery journey. She told us how her first experience riding a motorcycle was pre-accident, when she was living in the Bahamas during her early 20s. As she was on an island and transport was difficult, she decided to get a bike shipped in from China – a Lifan Enduro 250. To her dismay, it came in various parts. Luckily, “a trade for a bottle of rum” meant that a local mechanic assembled it for her. She had an unforgettable time, often strapping a spear and fins to the bike’s side for spearfishing adventures. However years passed after returning to England before she had a motorcycle again.

It was after her accident that Vanessa decided to buy a Suzuki Bandit, a low-cost motorcycle to travel into work on. It rekindled her love for bikes, so much so prompting a trip to Texas for her honeymoon, where she and her husband hired out Harley-Davidson bikes. Together they explored 1000 miles of breath-taking scenery.

It wasn’t long until Vanessa wanted to take her passion for bikes further. After spending a lot of time working on her balance and strength training, she was able to take part in trials and ADV (Adventure Riding). This has seen her travel to places such as Andorra and Bolivia. Incredibly, she is now at the point of doing hard enduro; pushing herself out of her comfort zone even further. She looks forward to competing in more events and hopes that she is able to do a “massive race” this summer.

For the rest of the Soul Kind People 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.

You can find me Vanessa, The Girl On A Bike over on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, and www.thegirlonabike.com.

Bike show ‘better than ever, after being torpedoed by Covid in 2021

The London Motorcycle Show is roaring back to London’s Docklands, from February 11 – 13 for a celebration of two-wheeled fun and freedom.

Show-goers will be able to see the latest machinery on offer from some of the world’s leading motorcycle manufacturers, including BMW, CCM, Ducati, Honda, Indian Motorcycle, Kawasaki, Langen Motorcycles, Lexmoto, Suzuki, Triumph and Yamaha. The latest motorcycle clothing and protective gear will be on show too.

This year’s show – after last year’s was cancelled at the height of the pandemic – claims to be better than ever, with a rich diversity of talent, machinery and entertainment.

One of the main draws will be a special tribute to motorsport icon Valentino Rossi. After 26 seasons competing in Grand Prix racing, the Italian legend’s illustrious career came to a close in November. The show will be celebrating his achievements by flying in six of his championship-winning machines, including his four MotoGP Yamahas from 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2009, as well as his two 125cc and 250cc Aprilias from the 1997 and 1999 seasons.

Thrills

A key show highlight will be the live action racing, in which road racing legends John McGuinness and Peter Hickman go head-to-head as they battle to be crowned the ‘MCN King of the Roads’…. on 125cc bikes, racing around an exciting indoor 150-metre flat track, allowing show-goers a close-up of the thrills and spills.

Other ‘adventure’ guests include Vanessa Ruck on her overseas motorcycle forays, Simon Weir on touring Europe, Tiffany Coates on ‘Motorcycle Travel and the art of self-preservation’, Fern Hume looking at ‘fly ride’ ideas in far-off locations, with other speakers lined up too.

You can also check out the Standard article on Yahoo see here

For the rest of the Standard 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.

You can find me Vanessa, The Girl On A Bike over on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, and www.thegirlonabike.com.

Ruck ‘n’ Roll!

What’s the ultimate way to travel the globe? According to sports fanatic and social media sensation Vanessa Ruck, it’s on a motorbike!

By Rachel Ifans published by Glourious Sport [full article here].

Vanessa Ruck is @TheGirlOnABike, a rider who’s not only pushing sporting boundaries and winning awards* from the motorbiking community, she’s also inspiring a community of fans with her popular YouTube channel and social media accounts.

Have a flick through Vanessa’s videos and you’ll get a feel for this wonderful woman. See her riding a monster of a Harley Davidson Pan America in a recent Welsh Winter Warmer race for big bikes; despite being one of only two female competitors (out of 22), hers was one of the biggest bikes in the field and, during the grueling two-hour battle, she negotiates extremely hard terrain in first gear, deep puddles, thick mud, climbs and slippery off-camber turns.

Scroll further and you’ll see her prepping her darling Buddy – a Husqvarna TE 250i – for a race, giving her the full works including oil change and filter, switching the tires for a clean edge, and firing up Thug, her beloved Harley Davidson DYNA Street Bob.

Vanessa owns five bikes (Buddy, Thug, Bear, Big Red, and Woody), has traveled to 21 countries on rides, and has entered – to date – nine big races, including the British Extreme Championship, the British Hard Enduro Championship, Rallye du Maroc and Red Bull Romaniacs. She’s definitely making her mark in the biking community as one of the precious few women who ride – and you get the feeling she’s only just begun.

RECOVERY

“However, I’ve now had seven surgeries on my hip and my shoulder [full accident story here]. I didn’t have all of them in one go; it was more a case of one every year for seven years – when a previous op didn’t work, complications happened or things were missed. I’ve effectively got a reconstructed right shoulder and right hip involving bone work, ligaments, soft tissue, tendons and cartilage.”

As well as hours and hours of rehab, loads of time on crutches and many days in bed, Vanessa’s mental health took a huge hit. “I’ve had some of the darkest days you can imagine; in fact, I’d say that the mental recovery has probably been harder than the physical and I’m quite open about that.” “Mindfulness is now a big part of my life. When my hip is hurting particularly badly, most of the time I can cope with it but there are moments when I get angry and can quickly spiral down into a toxic, negative mental state. Through mindfulness, I’ve learned to be conscious of my thought processes and recognise early triggers.”

For the rest of the Glorious Sport 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.

You can find me Vanessa, The Girl On A Bike over on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, and www.thegirlonabike.com.

As seen on Soloenduro: Vanessa is an English blogger with incredible fortitude. Six years ago she had a terrible bicycle accident on her way home, she was hit by a motorist who did not respect a red light. For Vanessa these years have been an ordeal, a long series of interventions to be able to get her back on a motorcycle, years of therapies, physical and mental efforts.  Finally after a long time, a few days ago, she took part in an enduro race organized by Wor Events in Stourport-on-Seven, at the Coney Green Farm in England. Three hours of hard Enduro, which took place in the mud due to adverse weather and where Vanessa outdid herself, bringing her Husqvarna TE 250i (which she calls Buddy) to the finish with more than excellent results. Here are his words after the race.

Vanessa : “Over, it was really tough! I would like to smile, but I’m too exhausted, three hours of enduro on such terrain put me to the test, me and my Buddy, we need to lie down and take a breath. This is it was my ninth race ever and having finished 19th out of 39 drivers entered in the Sport class was a great satisfaction, also because it was really hard.

I competed on a very dug course and I had to do my best to finish the day. The most difficult moments? One when my hip started to hurt again, basically six months after the last operation are few for what I had … and the second when I ended up under a tangle of three motorcycles, in the middle of a sea of ​​mud .

Five interventions in six years are not a trivial matter and the physical suffering has made itself felt, I realized that I still have to work a lot, start over with physiotherapy and training just to recover as much as possible, this is now the most important thing precisely for to be able to give my best for the next appointments. Thanks to the targeted protections I was able to withstand the difficulties, thanks therefore to my officialleatt knee pads, which saved me from further physical damage.Now … it’s time to rest and give my bike a good clean. What a day guys. Thanks to Worevents for a mega race and to Michelin for making tires that put me in a position to get by in that sea of ​​mud! “

For the rest of the Soloenduro 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.

You can find me Vanessa, The Girl On A Bike over on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, and www.thegirlonabike.com.

As seen in the Dorset Echo and 35 other regional papers: A BOURNEMOUTH University graduate and YouTuber who has required seven surgeries after being hit by a car has won a national award for her content.

‘The Girl On A Bike’, also known as Vanessa Ruck, is a 35-year-old rising star in the motorcycle world. Vanessa won best social media channel and most inspirational rider at Motorbike TV Awards.

After being hit by a car while cycling in 2014, Vanessa’s world turned upside down, resulting in seven surgeries and a roller-coaster of mental and physical recovery spanning seven years. Through her recovery she discovered motorcycles, becoming known as ‘The Girl On A Bike’. She is an inspirational female.

As a motorcycle rider and racer, Vanessa speaks passionately about the challenges of recovery from a life-changing accident and making the most of every day despite chronic ongoing pain.

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

“People can relate to my story because everyone goes through bad times. We all have battles, some less visible than others but with a positive outlook, determination, and a smile these battles can be a little easier.

“Hopefully I am inspiring others to show that if I can bounce back and keep going after seven surgeries, others can get through their hard times.”

Vanessa spends her time sharing all elements of life, largely surrounding motorcycles, and also does charity work delivering free workshops to UK youth. Utilizing her recovery to engage young minds she talks about resilience, goal setting, and coping with life’s pressures.

Given the Motorcycle TV peoples awards got a record 100,000 votes it’s clear to say Vanessa is an inspiration to women and men alike – one inspirational female! “I’m on a mission to prove to myself that I still can, and I hope that continues to encourage others to get up and grab life by the horns,” she added.

1. Somerset Live
2. Zalily
3. Newstral
4. Wales online
5. Portsmouth
6. Daily Advent x2
7. Lincolnshire Live
8. Enduro News
9. Grimsby Telegraph
10. Cheshire Live
11. Dorset Live
12. Gloucestershire Live
13. Nottingham Post
14. Chepstow Beacon
15. Reddit
16. Plymouth Herald
17. Daily Post
18. Gazette Live
19. Leicester Mercury
20. Somerset Live
21. Essex Live
22. Bristol Post
23. Nach Welt
24. Get Surrey 
25. Cambridge News
26. Coventry Telegraph 
27. Cornwall Live
28. Derby Telegraph 
29. Kent Live
30. Hertfordshire Mercury
31. Stoke Sentinal
32. Belfast Live
33. Devon Live 
34. Staffordshire Live
35. Hull Daily Mail
36. Dorset Echo

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.

You can find me Vanessa, The Girl On A Bike over on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, and www.thegirlonabike.com.

Following winning the best social media channel and most inspirational rider at Motorbike TV Awards I am delighted to see TMX share my story. TMX is the world’s leading off-road weekly newspaper. Motorcycle Trials, Enduro News, Motocross and Race Results.

For the rest of the TMX 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.

You can find me Vanessa, The Girl On A Bike over on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, and www.thegirlonabike.com.

On this episode Simon K speaks to Vanessa Ruck, The Girl On A Bike.

Having endured a horrific accident six years ago, Vanessa Ruck has been on a long and bumpy road to recovery. Six complex surgeries including shoulder and hip reconstruction, and years of physiotherapy and rehabilitation. Vanessa trained to enter two of the largest European rally and hard enduro races,  while undergoing more surgeries and dealing with the effects of her injuries.  

In 2014, Vanessa was traveling on her bicycle from work when a car jumped a red light and hit her head on, leaving her with life-changing injuries.

She began riding dirt bikes three years ago.Vanessa had always been an adrenaline and outdoors fanatic, enjoying extreme sports like kitesurfing, wakeboarding, snowboarding, and mountain biking. However, unable to go back to these sports, Vanessa took up motorcycling as it was completely new and initially something she could do without much physical demands – cruising on a Harley-Davidson. But the thirst for adrenaline quickly grew as her body recovered.

Vanessa started @TheGirlOnABike when bed bound after her 3rd surgery following the accident. Since then day she has continued to share her journey on social media with over 210K followers across all platforms. She is currently actively training and prepping for her upcoming rallies.

For the listen to the Collective Whisper podcast see here.

Check out my other 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.

You can find me Vanessa, The Girl On A Bike over on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, and www.thegirlonabike.com.

As seen in Chepstow Beacon: Monmouth Youtuber, The Girl On A Bike, also known as Vanessa Ruck, has been nominated for a national online motorbike award for her creative content and is up against some big hitters.

35 year old rising star Vanessa said she couldn’t believe she was nominated in the same category as social media giant RoyalJordanian and would be thrilled if she did well in the comp.

Competitive Enduro Rally racer Vanessa has just come back from the Rallye Du Maroc and bagged a first prize. She thinks that it is because of the footage of her entering really challenging events or travelling to stunning countries, is why her videos on YouTube are energetic, inspiring and beautiful.

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

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

“People can relate to my story because everyone goes through bad times and I think they’re cheering me on to keep doing better and better. Hopefully I am inspiring others to show that if I can bounce back after seven surgeries, others can get through their hard times.”

For the rest of the Chepstow Beacon 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.

You can find me Vanessa, The Girl On A Bike over on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, and www.thegirlonabike.com.