The Girl On A Bike survived the British Enduro Championship round one! Here’s more on how I found it over on Motorradreporter. You can also read about how I got horrifically stuck and how Tom Sagar saved me… #hero
Honoured to be called a “daredevil” by Motor Rad Reporter 🤪 I’m just out there trying to make the most of life. A life changing accident really puts things in perspective and the terrifying reality is that tomorrow…might not come.
When your favourite tool company, Teng Tools, ask if they can feature you in their quarterly magazine…you say yes!
ACHIEVING THINGS I DIDN’T REALISE WERE WITHIN MY REACHES
FROM TRAGEDY TO POSITIVITY. VANESSA RUCK HAS OVERCOME SO MUCH AND IS NOW EMPOWERING PEOPLE TO GET THEIR HANDS DIRTY AND HIT THE ROAD!
Born and raised in England. I’m a go-getter, a
chase-your-dreams kind of girl. I grew
up in the great outdoors, getting muddy and messing around keeping fit with
horses and quad-bikes and always up to mischief.
But things took a life-changing turn on the 25th of March 2014. I was on my bicycle with the fresh feeling of spring in my stride and hit the road pedalling hard! Out of nowhere an oncoming car pulled across in front of me. I had a microsecond. Time seemed to go into slow motion. But there was nothing I could do. There was no route for avoidance. No hope to avoid impact. I felt my body crumple as I shattered into the rear passenger panel. My right shoulder took the full impact. My body screamed internally before collapsing to the ground on my right side.
I was feeling incredibly shaken up, as one would expect but
my get-up-and-go attitude had me staying positive about the short-term
implications.
Today, years since the accident; my body has been through so
much. Over 13 months off work, 6 operations, full shoulder reconstruction [yes,
I am now partly bionic], 4 hip surgeries, countless steroid injections,
hydrotherapy, osteopath, shock wave treatment, acupuncture, red light therapy, spiritual
healing, ice treatment, months and months of physiotherapy, and continued hip
treatment.
My escapism has always been through sports, whether that’s
kite surfing, snowboarding or mountain biking, it’s always been about getting
physical, but the accident changed that, but then motorbikes came into my
world. They’ve swiftly become my favourite form of adventure; the open road,
the power, the ability to simply disappear into the unknown and travel the
world. Some may wonder how I’ve been able to ride motorcycles during my
recovery, given the injuries. But most of the people who ask are those who
don’t ride!
I started @TheGirlOnABike when bed bound after my 3rd surgery following the accident, I needed something positive to channel my energy into. Since this day I have continued to share the ups and downs of my journey. Now as I discover new DIY techniques for my bike, I’m planning to help empower others to give it a go too, showing them that if someone like me can do it, they can do it too! I want to give people the confidence to get some tools, get their hands dirty and get working on their motorcycles. For me, DIY completely opens up new areas of knowledge, helping me learn and achieve things I didn’t realise were within my reaches.
I am passionate about so many things, but motorbikes are now so central to everything. There are few things as satisfying as a hard day’s graft working on your bike and seeing the results on the road. When I think of hand tools, I think Teng Tools! The tools are awesome, and I know I can rely on them to help me get the job done. Working on my motorcycle, my pride and joy, I only want to use the best. For me that is Teng Tools.
From Motocaina: Monmouth Youtube Vanessa loved sports activities, but in 2014 she had an accident that completely changed her life. It was then that her … motorcycle became the greatest support in her recovery.
Her sports and life activity has completely changed, because the injuries she suffered required a calm lifestyle. Cycling was out of the question, so Vanessa chose a motorcycle for her commute. She did not know then how it would affect her life …
The choice fell on the Harley-Davidson brand, the 2015 model – Dyna Street Bob, or “Thug”. Her love for the brand blossomed during her honeymoon, when she and her husband rented two HD motorbikes for a 5-day trip. And with the motorcycle and numerous trips, the joy of life has also returned. After some time, a small Cross KTM was delivered to the garage.
The website “The Girl On A Bike” was created in 2016 on a hospital bed, when Vanessa needed some positive momentum in her life after her third hip surgery. There, she showed her real life, motorcycle trips, but also days that were strewn with spikes, not roses.
Her story gave strength to many people in a similar situation, it became an inspiration. After such a positive response, the motorcyclist continues to share her life and run a blog. It is already after 6 operations and still requires rehabilitation. She did not regain her former life, but she gained a new one, also fully satisfying!
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.
When an accident turned my life inside out, I found salvation in Harley-Davidson, and then came the start of The Girl On A Bike
I was super honoured to be asked my HOG to write about my journey to becoming a Harley-Davidson rider. This was published in HOG Magazine – Harley Owners Group – Published in EMEA region (English, Dutch, French, German, Italian and Spanish), as well as in Canada (English and French), Latin America (Spanish) and Brazil (Portuguese).
See below for the full story
My addiction to Harley-Davidson emerged following a few challenging twists in the road of life. It all started on our honeymoon, when we hired two Harley-Davidson motorcycles in Texas, exploring 1,000 miles around Route 66, Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo and the breathtaking scenery of the Palo Duro Canyon. It was an amazing adventure [read more on how we did Route 66 in 5 days here].
Back home, our lives were full of excitement; we lived for sport and the great outdoors. There was this constant underlying thirst for adrenaline. With a full-time job, I found my ways to shape life around these needs. Weekdays entailed a 16-mile daily cycling commute, lunchtime gym sessions and summer evening wakeboard sessions. Weekends were filled with road trips, kite surfing, mountain biking and climbing.
But things took a life-changing turn in March 2014 when, while cycling, I was hit by a car that jumped a red light. In that moment, life as I knew it was gone [more on the accident here]. As I write this nearly five years on, it’s three weeks since my sixth surgery, but I’m confident it’ll be the last operation. We’ve had to make a lot of changes in our lives following the injuries, and there have been ups and downs between surgeries. No sports, no adrenaline, my social life vanished, and I was unable to do my cycling commute. I decided to get a motorcycle to skip the traffic and save money, and this was the first catalyst to Harley ownership.
Later, my husband Alex was posted by the Royal Air Force to Afghanistan, which devastatingly was just one week prior to my full shoulder reconstruction surgery. On his return, for a belated wedding anniversary, I organised two Harleys for the afternoon – and that was it. It was immediately apparent that this thumping V-Twin was the key to a world of enjoyment that required minimal physical demand, something that would bring adventure to our worlds with my injuries.
Within weeks we were Harley owners and the adventures unfolded. In the three and a half years since, around my surgeries and rehabilitation, we’ve done 15,000 miles, countless weekend trips, wild camping, explored six National Parks, enjoyed sunrise rides over London’s Tower Bridge, and undertaken a 2,700-mile Alpine adventure [see more]. We have had a blast on two wheels.
Thug
I genuinely can’t begin to imagine how I would have made it through the last few years without ‘Thug’, my 2015 Dyna Street Bob. She’s given me a sense of adventure that went missing after the accident. I’ve also started The Girl On A Bike an Instagram blog, @TheGirlOnABike. While bed-bound following one of my surgeries, I decided that there must be other people out there facing similar struggles; maybe I could reach them through social media? I never imagined that so many people would find hope and encouragement in my story. There have been days when I didn’t want to get out of bed, but my followers helped me find strength, and there have been many days where my followers were struggling and my story has helped them.
Recovery
When people say ‘recovery’, you typically think of returning to how you were before the accident. But there is no going back. You do not merely recover, you reinvent yourself. You learn so much as you fight through; it’s an irreversible journey. While my journey over the past five years has been brutal, I feel somehow lucky. I have friends now I would never have met, I have a Harley-Davidson I would never have bought, I have realised the importance of a work-life balance, I’ve become even closer to my husband and soulmate, and I have a fire in my soul only this type of recovery could light.
Make sure you’re following me The Girl On A Bike on Instagram and Facebook to hear more about my ongoing journey.
Following at epic adventure covering 2,700 miles, 9 countries and over 25 mountain passes I was honoured to write about my Alps trip for HOG magazine. The adventure was with Tour1, an official Harley-Davidson tour operator and completed on the gorgeous 2018 Harley-Davidson Sport Glide [see my review here]
The article will be printed in the EMEA region (English, Dutch, French, German, Italian and Spanish), as well as in Canada (English and French), Latin America (Spanish) and Brazil (Portuguese).
I’m so unbelievably excited as I write this. I’ve had my first proper full article published in the form of a bucked list piece in the worlds largest weekly motorcycle publication, MCN aka Motorcycle News. The article is a review of my 2,700 mile adventure through some of the best Alpine roads with Tour1 on their Altitude with attitude tour in 2018.
I recently had the pleasure of riding the 2018 Softail Sport Glide on a mega 2,700 road trip, and Harley-Davidson have posted my Harley-Davidson Sport Glide review. While I have my Dyna Street Bob® I knew that on a tour around the best mountain roads in the Alps with Tour1, it was time to try a bigger motorcycle – the 2018 Softail Sport Glide™ – and boy did it win my heart. It’s a big bike in a small package offering power on tap and plentiful torque for passing on hairpins or blasting past Sunday drivers. I always felt like she had so much to give!
Harley really have done a superb job of distributing the load, improving the comfort and making a sick looking machine. The bike feels light and agile, and the ride comfort is like no Harley I’ve ridden, smooth and refined. The bike sucked up the tarmac giving a super smooth ride but with just the right amount of energy to keep its Harley soul. Character and comfort perfectly refined, even for the distance. You then add the wow factor with elegant lines combined with a stocky road presence, and I could see myself happily living this this beach; commuting with its practical luggage, while being a head turner for cruising and yet also offering great comfort for the longer tours. With 2,714 miles together, I can vouch first hand.
Yeah, it’s not going to be the bike for everyone, but I can’t stress enough how well Harley have done with the new 2018 models, they really are a new breed of machines. This guy is a beast and I’d recommend getting a test drive, but I warned you….you’ll want one!
Manuela Saragosa from BBC Services asked me whether it matters where Harley’s are made and what Harley fans like me make of the company’s decision to move some motorcycle manufacturing from the US to Thailand in order to dodge new EU retaliatory tariffs. Being honest, it doesn’t matter to me as long as the brand heritage and quality doesn’t change. Harley needs to do what they have to do to get bikes to customers at a price we can pay. Have a listen to the BBC podcast to hear my full thoughts on whether it matters where Harley’s are made
I’m absolutely buzzing to be a monthly columnist for the worlds biggest motorcycle publication, MCN, I’m let free to ‘blog-off’ and get revved-up about motorcycling. Make sure you buy the weekly publication to read it. And drop me a comment or message on Instagram if you have a topic you’d like to see me cover.
The girl on a bike MCN columist motorcycles kevlar jeans e1529596806972
The girl on a bike MCN columist motorcycles adventure therapy e1529596795462
The girl on a bike MCN columist motorcycles bright kit
The girl on a bike MCN columist motorcycles hair pins Stelvio
With nearly half a billion papers sold and more than 1.5 billion readers entertained and informed over its 59-year history, MCN can lay claim to being the world’s leading source of biking news. Motorcyclenews.com reinforces that claim with the same dedication and expertise which has made MCN’s voice the one the industry listens to, because we speak on behalf of you.
Penned from a one-room office on London’s Fleet Street, the first issue of MCN led with the exclusive story of multiple GP world champion Geoff Duke’s ban from the sport for supporting a riders’ strike, while inside editor and founder Cyril Quantrill’s first ever leader column impugned the sport’s highest councils for their cavalier treatment of privateer riders. A legend had been born.
The spirit of MCN then was as it is now: to bring you the stories and information you care most about, first.
It’s absolute honour for me to be working with MCN and I look forward to writing column after column for them, and maybe even more in time! Stay tuned.
