The Forester: Two mums and two toddlers clock up 347km riding across Turkey
The Forester: Two mums and two toddlers clock up 347km riding across Turkey
As seen in The Forester on 13 November 2026.
The Forester follows the first six riding days of my Turkey e-bike adventure with Tori Williams and our toddlers, Skyla and Leo. At that stage, we had covered 347.5 km, climbed 5,630 metres and raised £1,360 for Leukaemia UK in memory of Tori’s mum Wendy.
The feature explores everything that happens around the pedalling: preparing meals, drying storm-soaked kit, feeding children and adapting plans to their needs. It also shares the laughter, playground stops and dinosaur costumes that made the early days memorable, with Gary’s motorhome support providing a practical backup.
For me, returning to cycling after seven surgeries and life with chronic pain makes the journey especially meaningful. Sharing it with Skyla is another way of showing that motherhood can open up a different kind of adventure.
This is a regional sister-publication version of the progress story also covered by the Abergavenny Chronicle and Monmouthshire Beacon, separate from The Forester’s October departure article. These are early-trip figures rather than our current totals.
Read The Forester’s Turkey cycling feature.
Support the Leukaemia UK fundraiser in memory of Wendy.
If you’re new here, I’m Vanessa Ruck, The Girl On A Bike: a motorcycle racer, adventurer, motivational speaker and mum living with chronic pain. Read about the cycling accident that started this journey.
Follow the adventure on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok.
The Girl On A Bike thegirlonabike
I'm a bike loving, free spirited adventurer born and raised in England. Life took a turn in 2014. In a single moment life as I knew it was taken away by the momentary lapse in judgement of a red-light-jumping car while I was cycling. My recovery to fitness took a little over 7 years with 7 major surgeries and since that day I've made it my goal to make the most out of life. My biggest goal is to help encourage others to get up and get out there. It doesn’t matter what it is, but we all start somewhere and if I can do it, so can you! Let’s make the most of life, what we do have around us and have fun doing it.
