6,500 kilometres, two continents and one of the toughest deserts on the planet: Vanessa Ruck shares the secret with us as she prepares to race it with nothing but her KTM 450 rally bike and pure determination up against the elements.
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00:00 motivational speaker, philanthropist and racer.
00:04 Kent-born Vanessa Ruck is about to take on her most ambitious race yet.
00:08 The Africa Eco Challenge is a 14-day cross-continent race from Monaco to Senegal across 6,500 kilometres,
00:17 including part of the Dakar desert.
00:20 Harsh conditions, savage temperatures and a whole lot of sand.
00:24 However, the Kent star is no stranger to facing the elements of the desert, having completed
00:30 eight international desert rallies on her KTM 450 rally replica.
00:35 Most recently, Vanessa took part in the Morocco Desert Challenge, which was an eight-day demanding
00:40 event.
00:41 Out of all 77 participants in the moto category, Vanessa was among the 40% who managed to finish
00:48 every day, where she faced peak temperatures of 52 degrees Celsius.
00:53 But it's not just the thrill of the intense speeds and racing that's pulling Vanessa back
00:57 to the desert this time.
00:59 The Africa Eco Challenge is also supporting local communities in the countries they pass
01:03 through, like in Mauritania, where the rally has funded the planting of over 2,000 trees.
01:10 Ready to document her journey on her YouTube channel to more than 50,000 subscribers, the
01:15 girl on a bike has just about two months to prepare before it's off to face the elements
01:20 in Africa.
01:22 So I'm joined by Vanessa now.
01:24 Vanessa, thank you very much for joining us.
01:25 Now, I keep looking at my calendar and I think we all are at this time of year.
01:28 Christmas is coming, but that also means that your race in January is coming soon too.
01:33 How have you been preparing?
01:34 A lot of fitness.
01:35 That's a really big one.
01:38 It's a 14-day race off-road across Africa on a motorcycle.
01:42 So physically, that's going to be a really key thing.
01:45 Getting my nutrition right.
01:46 I spent a lot of time in the garage sorting my rally bike, getting that ready.
01:51 And then probably actually up there, one of the most important ones is working on my mental
01:55 state.
01:56 Having just the belief in myself and reassuring myself that I have trained, I am ready, I
02:02 have the skill, I have the navigation, I have the kit.
02:05 And the self-doubt really is huge, the imposter syndrome, all of that.
02:08 So working on my mental state has been a really big one as well.
02:11 But I suppose in a way, that kind of anxiety and that sort of imposter syndrome that you
02:16 explain, all that can mean is that you care so much about getting this done and that must
02:20 push you on in some sort of way.
02:22 Absolutely.
02:23 I think people often get really nervous about stuff and they see nerves as a negative thing.
02:27 I actually think nerves are a really powerful thing because they help us go, "Whoa, hang
02:31 on.
02:32 Am I ready?
02:33 Do I need to be more?"
02:34 They help us focus.
02:35 And using that sort of nerve element to help me make sure I'm really prepared, I think
02:39 is quite powerful.
02:40 And also, realizing that everybody in the world, even the top pro people, they all have
02:46 self-doubt.
02:47 It's normal.
02:48 I think it's about trying to get myself skilled as much as I can and go into it knowing that
02:54 the Vanessa in the dunes, cursing and digging my bike out of a sand hole, will look back
02:59 and thank the Vanessa now for being as prepared as I could be.
03:03 And that's sort of my goal.
03:05 Do what I can now to help tomorrow be easier.
03:08 Absolutely.
03:09 I think that's a message that we could all take away in our own lives, but obviously
03:11 quite a bit different from what you're going to be taking on in January.
03:15 But you're also going to be doing it for an organization called Energy of Hope.
03:19 Can you tell us a bit more about Energy of Hope and what it is that they do to support
03:22 people in Africa?
03:23 Yeah.
03:24 So, they are working with Two Wheels for Life, and I am a brand ambassador for Two Wheels
03:29 for Life.
03:30 Now, I feel very privileged to be able to race pretty hefty, valued machines across
03:36 some of the poorer parts of the world, across Africa.
03:39 We're going to be going Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, down to Senegal and Dakar.
03:44 And there's some incredible poverty in those areas.
03:46 And Two Wheels for Life helps with the use of motorcycles to help facilitate better health
03:53 care infrastructure in those areas.
03:56 And for me to be able to support a company that is helping the communities in the places
04:00 I'm very privileged to go massively helps.
04:03 Now, they're doing all kinds of things.
04:05 Now, if you think about some places in Africa, let's say as an example, you're a pregnant
04:09 lady and you've got complications.
04:12 You might need to go on a cart with a donkey to go and get health care.
04:16 Now, through the training, the support, the supply of motorcycles, it gives a lot more
04:22 mobility of that health care.
04:24 And the idea of someone having issues and having to travel three hours on a donkey is
04:29 something that in our society in the UK, you couldn't even fathom.
04:33 So, being able to support them, supporting those more in need people, makes me being
04:40 able to go and race, have a value and a win and something that is giving back, which just
04:46 feels good for me.
04:47 And it's not the first time that you've taken to these local, these places for some of your
04:51 racing.
04:52 You recently took on the Morocco Desert Challenge in some 50 plus degree heat.
04:57 Do you kind of feel you have a bit of a connection with these places now?
05:00 And maybe you even have some debt to give back?
05:02 And I suppose that kind of gives, you know, feeds into the great work that you're doing
05:06 with these charities.
05:07 Definitely, I'd say it's a love hate relationship with these countries, because when you're
05:14 out there in the dunes, to give it a bit of a bit of background, you will be racing through
05:19 very tough terrain on a motorcycle on your own following a piece of paper with compass
05:24 bearings and symbols and stuff for your navigation.
05:27 There's no GPS or anything like that.
05:29 It's incredibly physical.
05:30 Yes, I got an engine.
05:31 But have you ever tried walking in deep sand, running in deep sand, riding a bicycle in
05:36 deep sand, then put yourself on a motorcycle that is more than twice my body weight?
05:41 It's incredibly physical with complex navigation.
05:44 And there are definitely moments where you're in the middle of nowhere in a riverbed in
05:48 Morocco, when you're just going, this is brutal.
05:53 But in those moments, you dig deep, you work on the fact that you chose to be there, you've
05:58 got the skill, you've got to just keep fighting on.
06:02 And these countries are absolutely beautiful.
06:05 The local communities, the souls and the people that you meet are so excited that you've chosen
06:10 to come to their country.
06:11 And so I definitely feel like anything that I can do through what I'm privileged to be
06:17 able to do to help those communities is a really good use of my time and my energy.
06:23 I work very hard on content creation.
06:25 So you can follow me as the girl on a bike, Vanessa Ruck, across all the social media
06:29 platforms and you'll be able to see the full race footage following the event.
06:34 And if I can use that awareness to help bring things that will literally change people's
06:40 lives, that's using those platforms for good.
06:44 It's not just about entertainment.
06:46 It's about giving back as well.
06:47 And that is brilliant.
06:49 And thank you so much for coming on to share that with us.
06:52 Just before we go, I do have one quick fun question.
06:55 Your bike is called Big Buddy.
06:57 Is that correct?
07:00 What's the story behind that?
07:01 Because I suppose it is the biggest buddy you can have when you're out there and you're
07:05 facing those conditions.
07:06 It's just you and your bike.
07:08 It is indeed.
07:09 So the quick background, my hard enduro bike that I did Red Bull Romaniacs on is called
07:14 Buddy.
07:15 And I love the name Buddy.
07:16 There's something really connecting about it.
07:19 You're fighting something like, "We can do this."
07:22 You're in a touch of bond with your machine because it's literally you and him when you're
07:26 out there.
07:27 And I name everything.
07:28 Naming's great.
07:29 So one of the things like KTM, which is a very big, it's a 450 rally replica, full factory
07:35 rally bike, got the big navigation tower, 33 litres of fuel, weighs 177 kilos.
07:41 But I love the name Buddy, but I already had a buddy.
07:44 So I was like, "You're Big Buddy."
07:47 Big Buddy.
07:48 Well, Vanessa, best of luck with the race in January.
07:51 Thank you very much for joining us.
07:52 And hopefully we'll be able to keep in touch and see how it all goes.
07:55 Mega.
07:56 I really appreciate you having me on.
07:57 And if anyone wants to try and win the chance to come and see me on the finish line in Dakar,
08:03 Two Wheels for Life are doing a competition to win a five-star trip.
08:06 And if you get to come and see me in Dakar, I'll be a pretty broken, exhausted mess because
08:13 I am going to make the finish line and I will buy you a drink.
08:16 But if you don't win, you'll have donated to charity.
08:18 So it's a win-win either way.
08:20 Brilliant stuff.
08:21 Vanessa, thank you very much.