Two mums, two toddlers and 1,000km across Turkey!

TWO mums and their toddlers have set off on an epic trip on e-bikes across Turkey and will be camping out along the way.

Monmouth’s Vanessa Ruck – known online as ‘Girl on a Bike’ – and Tori Williams flew out on Thursday (October 22) ahead of a 25-day adventure, aiming to ride more than 1,000km and tackle over 21,000m of climbing while raising money for Leukaemia UK.

Joining them are Vanessa’s daughter Skyla, aged 22 months, and Tori’s two-year-old son Leo.

Their daily plans will depend on everything from the roads and weather to painful hips, tired legs and toddler tantrums.

For both women, the journey is about making memories with their children while keeping their own adventurous spirits alive. But each brings a deeply personal reason for taking it on.

For Vanessa, returning to a bicycle for this adventure is particularly meaningful.

In 2014, she was hit by a car while cycling in Oxford. Seven surgeries and years of rehabilitation followed, leaving her with a reconstructed hip and chronic pain that she still manages every day.

Adventure became part of rebuilding her life. After taking up motorcycling during her recovery, she went on to compete in demanding off-road events including Red Bull Romaniacs and the Africa Eco Race.

Now a mum, she is adapting again – finding ways to bring her daughter into the adventures that helped her rediscover herself.

“Motherhood doesn’t mean adventure has to stop. It just means adventure looks different,” Vanessa said.

The friends hope their journey will encourage parents to keep making room for their dreams, friendships and the things that make them feel like themselves, such as an expedition abroad or simply exploring somewhere new with their children closer to home.

Their fundraising carries an especially poignant meaning for Tori.

Her mum, Wendy, died from leukaemia in 2000 aged just 39. when she was ten and her younger brother was nine.

Twenty-six years later, Tori is a mum herself and approaching the age Wendy was when she died.

Taking Leo on this adventure is a way to honour her mum’s spirit while making the memories she knows cannot be taken for granted.

“Mum was a go-getter in life, she took every opportunity that came her way and I know she’d be our biggest support in this crazy adventure,” Tori says.

She first raised money for Leukaemia UK at just 12, and today a nurse with a long background in intensive care and, more recently, haematology, she has also cared for patients with leukaemia and other blood cancers.

“Help us keep one more parent here to watch their babies grow up,” she added.

The money raised will support Leukaemia UK’s research into kinder, more effective treatments.

Despite the ambitious distances, the friends are planning an adventure at a child-friendly pace.

The children will travel in trailers and on front-mounted child seats, with stops for food, play and whatever the day brings.

They will carry camping equipment and have not booked accommodation for every night.

Follow Vanessa on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube @thegirlonabike.

Sharing and commenting on their updates will also help spread the fundraising message.