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.

After attending Wetherby High school in Leeds it was great to see them mention our visit on their website.

Tim Bradshaw and Vanessa Ruck gave an inspirational talk to our Y9 & Y10 today.

Talking about the adversity they have overcome in their lives, the positive mindset and resilience they have shown to get where they are today

Tim was trying to summit Everest in 2015 when the Earthquake hit. 

Vanessa’s world was turned upside down, resulting in 7 surgeries and a rollercoaster of mental and physical recovery spanning 7 years. To find our more please visit  here website https://thegirlonabike.com/about-me-the-girl-on-a-bike/

For the rest of the Wetherby High 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 on Frontaer: YouTube is blowing up with adventure riders everywhere and it’s these people who are inspiring the next generation of riders.

We’ve curated a list of the best Motorcycle YouTubers around for some genuine inspiration. These riders not only see their country but the entire world, and aren’t characters that you might expect. In fact, 4 of these adventure riders are actually female.

Note: These aren’t listed in any particular order and are simply Frontaer’s preference. We may have even left the best until last! And besides – there are way more channels than these 12 Motorcycle YouTubers.

1. eveRide ADV

There are also in-depth and honest adventure motorcycle reviews which is a refreshing change. After all, most adventure motorcycling magazines of yesteryear were just too generous with their 15-minute audits instead of putting their bikes through the wringer.

2. On Her Bike

This is the personal motorcycling diary of Kinga Tanajewska. She started riding in Australia while studying here and fell in love with the sport. From there, On Her Bike was born into an epic YouTube channel with many fans.

She’s known for her raw and candid style while being humble and accommodating of others. Her accent throws off many of her viewers as she sounds Australian yet speaks multiple languages fluently.

3. MOTOTREK

If you want to truly learn adventure motorcycling, then pay close attention to MOTOTREK. Practically every lesson that you want to know is covered here and completely for free. It’s clear that Bret Tkcas really knows his stuff and has seen much of the world.

4. Alex Chacon

While not a full-on adventure rider, Jeremy Rhydes has certainly got a decent following of 330,000+ subscribers. He’s more of a general adventurer nowadays as opposed to an adventure rider, and combines the road with the pavement.

Most Inspiring Rider: Vanessa Ruck

We couldn’t help ourselves and had to add another rider, one who’s captivated our hearts through her inspirational story. This is Megan from The Girl On A Bike.

In 2014 her life changed forever when she was severely injured after being hit by a car. Coincidently, she’s #13 on our list…unlucky much? Vanessa has since experienced 7 surgeries on the road to recovery and hasn’t let that stop her from getting a larger chunk out of life. She’s based in the UK but her various motorcycles have taken her across Europe and when she’s not riding, she’s tinkering in her incredible garage.

For the rest of the Frontaer 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.