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

TWO best friends are heading to Turkey with their toddlers, two e-bikes and camping equipment — without knowing where they will sleep each night.

Vanessa Ruck and Tori Williams fly out on 22 October ahead of a 25-day adventure, aiming to cycle more than 1,000 kilometres and tackle over 21,000 metres 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 Monmouthshire-based Vanessa, known online as The Girl On A Bike, 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. That could mean 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. Tori 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 said.

She first raised money for Leukaemia UK at just 12. 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.

The cause connects the loss she experienced as a child with the families she has supported through her work, and the life she now shares with her own son.

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

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. Their route includes two riding legs, with a planned motorhome transfer between regions to avoid unsuitable roads. Friend Gary will provide support on the ground as a safety net.

How far they actually get remains part of the unknown.

Follow Vanessa on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube at @thegirlonabike, and Tori on Instagram at @Torz9891. Sharing and commenting on their updates will also help spread the fundraising message.