This year has been eventful in countless different ways. This is no exception for popular local social media personality Vanessa Ruck—also known as “Girl on a Bike”, who has a litany of achievements in 2022.

Vanessa has completed in countless competitions on a wide variety of motorbikes, as well as spending a considerable amount of time on three wheels, most of which has been chronicled on her YouTube channel (@TheGirlOnABike) and her Instagram (TheGirlOnABike).

Her highlights this year include: being the firsts woman to finish 1000 Dunas on standard adventure bike; the first female to enter and finish one of the toughest desert races out there Tunisia Desert Challenge; speaking to 8,000 school students; branching out her rally capabilities by completing two wheel moto rallies, three wheel rally in Ural sidecar and now has her four wheel rally licence, ready to race a Bowler Defender; it’s been the longest period without needing medical surgery intervention since her car accident in 2014. And she has been getting back into cycling with help of eMTB and enjoying the wonders and has ridden or raced in 20 countries.

Vanessa has been the first woman to ever enter into the Tunisia Desert Challenge, an extreme rally raid over sand dunes and in blistering temperatures. The 35-year-old competitor went on to complete the gruelling eight day endurance event, covering up to 469km each day and won the ladies class.

In Morocco she completed the 1000 DUNAS RAID, making her the first woman to ever finish on a standard production large-capacity adventure bike. Battling dry riverbeds, sand, camel grass, dunes, and long distances over rough terrain every day.

Vanessa is also keen to use her experiences to inspire young people, she visited Bristol at Orchard School to talk about her “Because I Can” attitude with years 7, 8, and 9. She spoke about giving young people the right tools to take on life, despite the setbacks and uncertainties that we all face, especially in light of Covid-19.

Looking to the future Vanessa has no intention of slowing down. She’s keen to explore new technology in the world of racing, including electric bikes, synthetic fuels, and even move up to some four-wheel rallies.