This was no beach holiday for Vanessa in the sandy dunes...
Vanessa Ruck, also known as
The Girl on a Bike, has been the first woman to ever enter into the Tunisia Desert Challenge, an extreme rally over sand dunes and in blistering temperatures.
The 35-year-old Portsmouth graduate went on to complete the gruelling eightday endurance event, covering up to 469km each day, enduring sandstorms with up to 85km-an-hour winds, bike problems leading to a night in the dunes, and another mechanical failure ending with the rescue helicopter being sent out.
Despite being on a motorcycle, only able to take what you can carry, competitors are required to carry various safety items such as flares and emergency blankets.
On the third stage, through the El Borma dunes, Vanessa suffered an electrical fault miles from anywhere. She was the furthest bike of 16 to be recovered.
During the fourth stage, the bad luck continued as Vanessa’s bike malfunctioned so she was stranded, deep in the dunes with the temperature peaking at 45 degrees centigrade.
Vanessa said: ‘I had water as thankfully passing cars, trucks and buggies gave me some, but by 5pm
I was bad. I called for an emergency evacuation and when they saw me, they were clearly scared. I was terrified. I had been trying not to breathe in the hot sand but it felt like my head was going to explode. I was delirious and was put on a drip. One competitor sadly died due to the heat as they didn’t activate emergency support from the organisers, I’m glad I found the strength to hit the button’.
But Vanessa went on to complete the gruelling event, becoming the first ever female to enter and finish it.