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.