Vanessa ruck Archives

The Girl on a Bike in the Media

Adventure Bike Rider: The incredible story of The Girl On A Bike

I had the honour of chatting to Ollie Rooke at Adventure Bike Rider, here’s what he wrote:

The incredible story of The Girl On A Bike

Extract from Adventure Bike Rider:

If you’ve ever scrolled through adventure biking photos on social media, chances are you’ve come across images of Vanessa Ruck, aka The Girl On A Bike, ripping up the trails on various mud-splattered motorcycles. But behind the action shots and infectious smile that she shares with her thousands of followers online is a story of grit, determination, and a refusal to give up on a motorcycling dream. Ollie Rooke caught up with Vanessa to discover the incredible story behind The Girl On A Bike and to find out how the Adventure Bike Rider Festival inspired her.

It was a bicycle accident of all things that got Vanessa Ruck into motorcycling. She was cycling home from work one night when a car ran a red light and knocked her flying. After being rushed to hospital, doctors failed to properly identify her injuries and sent her home. It was a fateful decision that would have painful repercussions and change the course of Vanessa’s life.

She says: “Back then I was fit, I was athletic, and I was healthy but that all changed when I got on my bicycle after work. If I fast-forward to now, I’ve had seven surgeries including a reconstructed shoulder and hip. They couldn’t have been more wrong that night at the hospital. I was actually sent home with bruising!

“When I finally got treatment, my recovery was a bit of a rollercoaster. They’d tell me I was doing alright but then I’d hurt and I knew it wasn’t right, so I’d go back and do more tests and they’d spot something else that they’d missed. Then I’d be back in for more surgery.”

Despite enduring several years of reconstructive surgeries and painful rehabilitation, Vanessa admits, perhaps surprisingly, that she wouldn’t change anything because it was that accident that led to her pursue her motorcycling dreams and the creation of The Girl On A Bike….

For the rest please head to Adventure Bike Rider here:

the girl on a bike vanessa ruck news media adventure bike rider — Vanessa Ruck in news with Adventure Bike Rider magazine

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By The Girl On A Bike

The Girl on a Bike in the Media

Teng Tools Magazine

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.