I’m blown away to have been included in this list! WOW by Wheels and Hills

Extract from Wheels and Hills:

I invite you to the only such list of the twelve most-liked motorcycle filmmakers on YouTube. The ranking was prepared according to proprietary and proven ‘me like it’ methodology. 

Without further ado, here is a list of ‘The Dirty Dozen Wheels and Hills’ – or the top 12 motorcycle YouTube channels you need to know. Youtubers were presented in a non-alphabetical and random order.

Let me know in the comments if there is someone you did not know before, and what motorcycle YouTube channels you think are worth subscribing to.

4. The Girl On A Bike 

Her life changed in 2014 when she was hit by a car. Since then, after 7 surgeries (including shoulder and hip reconstruction), she has set herself the goal of getting the most out of her life. Addicted to motorcycles with a passion for seeking adventure and perfecting her skills. On YT you will find it in the garage or in the saddle. Vanessa from the UK is a strong player who always tries new things with a smile, travels, reviews and has the garage you’ve always dreamed of.

Others in the list include:

1. Cross Training Adventure

2. Cross Training Enduro

3. Megs Braap 

5. Itchy Boots

6. MOTOTREK

7. Enduro Krzeszowice 

8. Enduro KeX

…….

For the rest or the top 12 motorcycle YouTubers please head to Wheels and Hills here:

Here’s my most viewed YouTube video of 2021 too:

Check out my other media placements here.

“THE GIRL ON A BIKE” in Travel Pocket Guide

I had the honour of chatting to Skylar Grace at Travel Pocket Guide, here’s what she wrote:

Extract from Travel Pocket Guide:

Seven years, seven surgeries. After suffering from a car accident in 2014, Vanessa Ruck’s life, as she had come to know it, was changed. An on-going battle to recover her full fitness, Vanessa overcomes her suffering with an inspiring level of positivity and strength. Travel Pocket Guide spoke with Vanessa.

On an otherwise ordinary day, Vanessa was heading to the lake on a bicycle when the momentary lapse in judgement by one person to jump a red light dramatically changed her life. Struggling through mental and physical pain, Vanessa has powered through several surgeries, including the reconstruction of her hip and shoulder. After discovering the world of motorbikes both on and off the road, Vanessa Ruck started Youtube channel “The Girl On A Bike”, which is dedicated to motorbikes, travel and her experiences. I was fortunate to have had the chance to speak with this incredible woman and find out more about her gripping journey, as well as what’s to come in the future!

Hi Vanessa! First of all, thank you for this opportunity. I’d like to start this off by talking a little bit about your enthusiasm for motorbikes. How long after your accident did you discover the world of motorbikes, and what initially drew you to them?

Surprising to many, I didn’t grow up with motorcycles – I wasn’t a small kid ‘braaping’ around at an early age. I was into the world of four-legged friends and obsessed with horses.

Pre-accident, life was all extreme sports, kitesurfing being the main one. With my body ‘broken’ I had to adapt, but as my recovery continued, I sought more adventure. The road riding on my Harley-Davidson earlier in my recovery had me loving bikes, but I can’t emphasise enough how hard it was to get back out on the road after the accident. It was terrifying and a huge mental hurdle to overcome. But I fought on, determined not to let the accident in my past hold me back, on top of the physical injuries I was battling. Then over time, as my body recovered, I wanted more – the fun and the adrenaline. It was this that made me look to off-road riding. […abstract from Travel Pocket Guide]

For the rest please head to Travel Pocket Guide here:

I had the honour of chatting to Michael Satterfield at The Gentleman Racer, here’s what he wrote:

https://www.thegentlemanracer.com/2020/10/vanessa-ruck-girl-on-bike.html

Extract from The Gentleman Racer:

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Vanessa Ruck an amazing woman who turned adversity into motivation and now uses her story to help others while exploring the world on two wheels. In 2014 Vanessa was riding her bicycle which a car ran a red light sending her to the hospital and starting a journey of rehabilitation that inspired her to push beyond just recovering from her accident. Today Vanessa is an author, spokesperson, motivational speaker, and competitive motorcycle rider with the goal of inspiring others.

Michael Satterfield: Your love affair with motorcycles started before your bicycle accident, what got you interested in riding?

Vanessa Ruck: Surprising to many, I didn’t grow up with motorcycles, I wasn’t a small kid braaping around at an early age. I was into the world of four-legged friends, obsessed with horses.

This all changed when I lived in The Bahamas in my early 20s for 1.5 years, here on a remote island transport was difficult. I couldn’t afford a car, so I bought a Chinese Lifan Enduro 250 motorbike and had it shipped in. There wasn’t a single other bike on the island and I’d never ridden a bike before, but that didn’t faze me. Others can ride bikes, how hard can it be?

 I was however rather shocked when it arrived part assembled in a box! Yikes. Thankfully a trade for a bottle of rum saw a local bush mechanic put it together and I was on my way. I never remember ‘learning’ to ride. I just did it as it was the only way I could get around the island. I was very soon found exploring the remote island of Eleuthera, where I lived, with my spear and fins strapped to the side for spearfishing beach adventures.

Michael Satterfield: What was your first bike?

Vanessa Ruck: So my first bike was quite an adventure, lots of sand and track riding. A Chinese Lifan Enduro 250 in The Bahamas. I then came back to England and realized that it was about time I actually got my full license…I immediately passed my full access license but years went by without having a bike. I guess early in my career and post-university I couldn’t see the financial commitment of a second vehicle as feasible when a car was vital.

Years on, I was living in the UK working 9 miles from home and so I commuted by bicycle. However, this all changed with my accident taking my strong body away from me [read more].  In the years post my accident I was unable to do my commute cycling and thus was driving in our 3.5 liter V6 Mercedes-Benz Viano….which drinks petrol back and forth to work. Once physically able I decided to get a bike, the Suzuki Bandit, to skip the traffic and save money. This was really the first catalyst for bikes taking over my world following the accident. Then came a Harley-Davidson aka a bike comfortable sofa to cruise. 20k miles of touring around Europe….

For the rest please head to The Gentleman Racer here:

I had the honour of writing a piece for Dainese following joining their Expedition Masters

Extract from Dainese:

It’s ironic how you feel most alive when your heart skips a few beats. We’d been warned during the morning’s training on some rocky terrain with a mix of deep sand, hard cracked slabs and loose stone that it might be tricky at times. But as my eyes skip ahead reading the terrain, I knew I needed to focus. A deep breath as I calmed my mind, relaxing into the bike’s rhythm and powering on. The deep sand laces its fingers through the Ténéré’s wheels, like a million little sand hands all desperate to guide me away from my chosen path.  

I roll on the throttle, throwing my 62kg weight as far back as possible to let the Ténéré’s front wheel float through the shifting sands. Our rhythms settle and it feels like we’re part gliding, part surfing. My peripheral vision captures flashes of the sea crashing down below the jagged cliff tops just metres from the track as I try to keep my focus on what lies ahead. My senses are in override – but I’m feeling smooth. And then ‘bang’ – we hit the hidden slabs of bedrock like icebergs in a sea of sand. The front wheel jumps up towards me as the suspension compresses, quickly followed by knees, and we absorb the shock like one long spring. It’s awesome riding here. 

Pulling to a stop a mile later, my heart is racing, breath coming fast and deep, and a smile spread across my face as wide as the expansive views. I was just delighted to still be upright, and the adrenaline fuelled smiles of the other riders with me told the same story. A glance over my shoulder reveals that not all the others following have been quite so lucky. I spot two bikes laying down in the deepest patch of sand. Bars dug in, bikes a dead weight.  

Watching the riders as they draw on their strength and training to lift them free of the sandy embrace, feet struggling for traction, I was very grateful to be watching and not down there with them.  

The full adventure package  

On a trip designed to deliver awesome adventure riding and training in one package, it’s becoming clear why it’s such a winning concept. We’re in Sardinia with Dainese’s Expedition Masters team, riding a lap of the island on a fleet of Yamaha Ténérés, soaking up as much training as our tired brains can absorb, while riding through some of the most incredible mixed riding terrain on Earth. […abstract from Dainese]

For the rest please head to Dainese here:

Check out my other media placements here.

Following living with a skin condition vitiligo since the age of 13 it was an honour to talk to Real People Magazine about how my accident helped me realise that my skin was far less of a concern than I once though.

Vitiligo is a challenging condition to live with, changing ones appearance on an ongoing basis, always changing and spreading. But with the trauma of my accident, it made me realise that the colour of me skin is nothing of importance compared to the battles life can throw as us. Real People Magazine helped me share my story.

My accident made me realise that life is too short!

For more on vitiligo see my other vitiligo articles here.

More from Real People Magazine here.

The Brain Bucket

I had the honour of chatting to Kelly Kawasaki from Rumble On, here’s what we discussed:

Extract from Rumble On:

Why did you start your account?

I started @TheGirlOnABike when I was bed-bound after my third surgery following the accident. It was the first on my hip and decided that I needed something positive to channel my energy into. I wanted to find others battling life’s challenges and see if we could help each other. Since that day I have continued to share my journey, but not just the happy days you expect people to share.

I feel social media can be so toxic with all too perfect ‘unreal’ lives projected. I work hard to be real and honest and show the rough and tough days too. There are down days, the days you have to find all your inner strength to even just get out of bed. Life can be brutal and I hope my energy helps others.

What is the best life lesson you’ve learned from owning/riding a motorcycle?

That anything is possible if you put your mind to it and train. This really applies to my hard enduro side of riding where I’m often sat on my bike eyes wide looking at some horrific terrain ahead. But breaking it down into 16 foot sections at a time, working on my technique and fighting on, it’s possible. For me, with a slightly reconstructed body, I’m more determined than ever to prove to myself that I can!

A secondary lesson is about looking after what you have. If you look after your bike, maintain it, clean it, and keep it ready to ride, it’s amazing what you can achieve together. But when neglected, things can go wrong, and having something fail out in the wilderness or mid-race, purely because you ‘didn’t bother’ to sort it earlier is insanely frustrating. Look after the bike and it looks after you [mostly, it still tries to throw me on the ground frequently.]

Your love affair with motorcycles started before your bicycle accident, how did you get into riding?

Surprisingly to many, I didn’t grow up with motorcycles and I wasn’t a small kid braaping around at an early age. I was into the world of four-legged friends and was obsessed with horses.

For the rest please head to Rumble On here:

Check out my other media placements here.

I’m a huge user of Compex products in the management of my on going pain and it was a an honour when Compex asked to talk to me about my journey, here’s what they wrote:

Extract from Compex:

With a world facing some unprecedented times, here at Compex we’re determined to share good news and with International Women’s day, what more fitting topic than celebrating women’s achievements. There are countless women out there, particularly those who enjoy the benefits of our products, but today we would like to introduce Vanessa Ruck.

Vanessa Ruck aka TheGirlOnABike
After being hit by a car while cycling in 2014, Vanessa’s world was turned upside down. Enduring an ongoing rollercoaster of recovery, with 7 surgeries including a reconstructed hip and shoulder, life as she knew it changed. However, while some might have given up on a life of extreme sport, Vanessa discovered a new love for motorcycles. Having tackled the fear of the road, she’s an off road enduro, adventure and Harley rider, and is determined to make the most of every day. She’s out there in the mud getting sweaty doing off-road riding on a mission to prove than anyone, even slightly reconstructed people and females, can do it too.

With a body that will never quite be the same again Vanessa has used a range of Compex products throughout her journey. “With considerable surgical invasion, building muscle strength back, or even just maintaining some of what I still had, was really quite tricky.” Vanessa told us how any joint movement would exasperate the pain around the joint that needed to rest and heel, but she was determined not to face unnecessary muscle degeneration. She started to use the SP 4.0 to stimulate her muscles. Enabling her to lie still in bed, hip relaxed but muscles working. She next progressed to the SP 8.0 to give more flexibility to use it in life situation’s; “I use to walk around the office with it on under my clothes, switching it on for up to 6 sessions through the day. In an office based environment I didn’t want my rehabilitation to be impacted” and the 8.0 allowed Vanessa to stimulate healing, muscle strengthening and pain relief while working.

For the rest please head to Compex here and you can get Compex discount code “VRCOMPEX” 30% off more here:

Check out my other media placements here.