Tara’s Story

My name is Tara Llanes and I LOVE bikes! I love the people, the culture, and as long as I have the right tools I don’t even mind working on them! Hehe. Ever since I threw my leg over a bike I knew it meant freedom. The freedom to be totally independent.

When I was 12 yrs. old I discovered BMX which then lead me to the sport I love most…mtn. biking. I worked hard and made it to the World Cup level and raced mtn. bikes professionally for 15 years. I was living my absolute dream. Not only did I get to race my bike but also through racing I traveled the world all through my teens and twenties.

In 2007 I was set to retire from racing and had 2 races left on the calendar. The first was in Colorado and the second were World Championships in Scotland. I unfortunately never made it to Scotland because of a bad accident I had while in Colorado. I crashed while in the semi-final heat, landed on my head, and ended up breaking my neck and back.

I guess people would consider me a paraplegic now but I still see myself as Tara. The past 7 years have been the most difficult of my life, however, I’ve also made amazing gains and have started to really understand life and that it’s not just about being able to walk.

After my injury a friend had started to help raise funds for my ever-growing hospital bills. He named it the Tara Llanes Road to Recovery and because of that fund I was able to pay most of my hospital bills as well as go to a world-renowned rehabilitation facility for 1 year. Once out of the hospital I was able to start doing things on my own and for myself and really wanted to help start raising money for others.

We will continue to help others with Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI) get through it with support, funding, and to show them that they can still do anything they put their minds to!

Thank you to everyone looking to purchase the Tara Llanes Helmet Displayer. You are helping make a difference in peoples lives.

Cheers!
Tara Llanes