Complete - Part 1

Dec 14, 2011 at 15:22
by Danielle Baker  

A "complete" spinal cord injury means having no voluntary motor or conscious sensory function below the injury site.

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  Tara stopped next to a lineup of new bikes at Obession:Bikes; the North Vancouver bike shop that will be building her new off-road hand bike.

Diagnosed with a complete spinal cord injury following a crash at the Jeep King of the Mountain race in 2007, Tara Llanes has worked hard to build a complete life without limitations. After years of a successful professional BMX and downhill racing career, including 2 US national championships, 4 World Championship medals and 4 ESPN X-Games medals, Tara has developed a focus and drive that continues to serve her in every challenge she faces. Most recently Tara is preparing to get back on technical riding trails for the first time since her accident.

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  Now a sales rep for Pearl Izumi, Tara works from home, surrounded by bike and rehabilitation equipment.

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  Tara recently received her permanent residency in Canada and now lives in North Vancouver with her wife, Elladee, in a rancher that they renovated.

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  Before moving in, Tara and Elladee renovated their house, including the addition of a steam shower to help Tara with her poor circulation.

Two years after her accident, which included intensive rehabilitation at Craig Hospital and time working with Project Walk, Tara was ready to put her competitive nature back to work. She had her sights set on completing the Hawaii Iron Man at the end of 2009. Unfortunately a long and painful recovery after undergoing surgery to enlarge her bladder caused her to miss the qualifications for the Iron Man. The surgery allowed to her to train for longer periods of time with proper hydration and, while she missed her initial goal, the surgery gave given her a lot more freedom in her daily life. Reflecting on her decision to pursue the Iron Man event, Tara says that she needed a focus that was different than mountain biking. Her love for the sport is so strong that she didn’t want to participate in something similar for fear of comparing her new experiences to her old ones.

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  Originally her mom's dog, Miya has been inseparable from Tara since her accident. When Tara moved to Canada, her mom surprised her by flying Miya up to live with her.

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  Miya always has a watchful eye on Tara, no matter where she is in the house.

Now four years post accident Tara will be back on her very own mountain bike for the first time, thanks to the generosity and support of her friends, family and even people she has never met. Her friend, Chantal Felten, spearheaded fundraising to purchase a three-wheel off-road hand bike for Tara. In only a few weeks they raised the required $7000 and the bike was delivered to Obsession: Bikes on November 9. The mechanics at the shop are excited to be a part of the project, as it’s not everyday they have the opportunity to build up a custom three-wheel hand bike from Poland. 'The Explorer', made by Sport-On, is the only off-road hand-cycle with suspension.

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  Tara's friends fundraised over $7000 to purchase an off-road hand bike for her from a manufacturer in Poland.

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  Lou, the mechanic who will be building Tara's bike, Elladee and Tara discuss additional parts the bike will require.

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  Photos of Tara's new hand bike were quickly shared around facebook, a testament to the enthusiasm of her friends and supporters.

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  The chance to build a customized three-wheel hand bike is rare and Lou has embraced the opportunity with creativity and enthusiasm.

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  Lou measures the width of Tara's bike; another employee at Obsession: Bikes has volunteered to measure 'tight' spots on the local mountain bike trails so that Tara will know which trails she can ride.

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  A BionX hub will be added to Tara's bike, providing an electric propulsion system to assist her with climbing hills.

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  This new bike will allow Tara to ride with her wife, who is equally passionate about riding, for the first time.

This new bike represents more than an opportunity for Tara to check out our famous North Shore mountain bike trails, it is an opportunity for her to participate in the community that she has remained a big part of since her accident. She has maintained strong ties to the mountain bike community including putting on the Tara Llanes Classic, a race that raises funds for spinal cord research and rehabilitation facilities and well as working as a sales rep for Pearl Izumi.

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  Tara and Elladee's house is filled with reminders of their love and passion for life.

Tara is still pushing herself, finding solutions for the challenges that she faces and making an impact on the bike industry.

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  Tara, Elladee and Miya spend some quality time together at home.

Stay tuned for a follow up as Tara's bike is completed and she checks out what the North Shore has to offer!

Author Info:
daniellebaker avatar

Member since May 10, 2007
235 articles

41 Comments
  • 46 1
 Good for her good to see such a positive and good outlook forward. Truly an amazing person.
  • 17 0
 Very inspirational! People really take things for granted. It really gets you thinking. I will definetly be waiting to hear more. You go girl!
  • 13 1
 Tara, we love you! Best wishes on behalf of everyone here in the U.K. Such a good motivational story to make us all count our blessings and keep smiling and progressing. Stay Strong and I look forward to seeing you at a race real soon!
  • 1 0
 Well put Si
  • 1 0
 Si you're awesome! Thank you for the kind words. tara
  • 15 2
 Such a nice story.
  • 2 1
 Sorry about negative props ^, very inspirational.
  • 7 1
 Always moving forward and never looking back.

I to have been riding and racing mountain bikes (downhill and cross country) for the past 20 years within Australia and Canada (Whistler) and have experienced a back injury during my working and sporting life. The one thing that has always held true is my drive and passion for riding and racing my bikes. It is this drive within us that pushes us forward and to never let anything holds us back.

Truly an inspirational effort Tara.

Hope to see you at Crankworx 2012, look out for Team Kranky.

Cheers.
  • 9 1
 If I lived locally in vancouver I'd cut wide trails for her new sled, the chick is bad ass . Tara getting some. So Sik.
  • 2 0
 Sweet! How soon can you get here? hehe.
  • 7 1
 Here is the video of this rig in action: www.pinkbike.com/video/231964
I'm sure that Tara will show us how it should be done Smile )
  • 2 1
 Amazing piece of engineering.
  • 5 1
 A very warm story about our bikers..

Something personal and peaceful. Feels like home... A warm fire...

That bike looks Rad...

The mountain biking community is "close-nit", the way it should be.!!
  • 6 1
 This is actually the perfect story right before x mas. Great article, great pics. All I can really say, that isn't lame or long in comment is this... "Ride on!"
  • 5 1
 Yeah, great story, I can't wait to see her out there ripping the trails on this thing. Oh, and she's absolutely gorgeous too.
  • 3 1
 So much drive and determination, and it has been such a pleasure following her before and after the injury. To see someone with so much drive have something so negative happen, yet bounce back and not let it get in her way just puts a smile on my face. What a great role model! Congrats on the bike Tara, hope to one day see you on the trails!
  • 5 1
 Enjoy your new bike Tara, I am so stoked for you. Would love to shred with yo next time you're in Kmaloops.
  • 1 0
 Yeah...I'd love to! Smile
  • 2 1
 Vancouver is a great place for adaptive outdoor sports. Lots of work going on. I am sure there are further mod's that can be made to your hand cycle. Talk to the guys at Toby's Cycle Works. They have been building my bike arms for years and have done lots of design and fabrication work on off road chairs.
  • 2 1
 when I started reading, I was afraid I was getting sucked into a depressing story but it turned out to be very inspirational. Get out and ride, Tara!
  • 1 0
 I thought Danielle Baker did an amazing job with both the story and the pictures. She's a very talented woman and I'm so happy that she's the one that wrote the story. Thank you Danielle!
  • 1 1
 Tara always has been an inspiring rider to watch, and learn from. and she still is. I look forward to riding tahoe next summer for the classic, and hope to see her back on the bike soon!
  • 3 1
 EXPORT POLAND !! Big Grin

I got big respect for U
  • 2 1
 Right on Tara! See you at the race next year, it's a blast.
www.pinkbike.com/photo/7520084
  • 1 1
 really inspirational, but isn't this tara in 2009?

www.pinkbike.com/photo/4317625

if so what happened to this bike?
  • 5 1
 The difference between that and this machine is that this one is propelled. The other one is simply a gravity bike.
  • 1 1
 Also this one is a hand bike, meaning the ones you pedal with your hands (as well as being propelled) and also this one is 3 wheeled rather than four. Ride on Tara!
  • 2 1
 The 4x-bike in the shot wasn't T's to own, the owner was nice enough to let her race the TLC on his rig!...This awesome little hand-cycle, built by Jared to fit her just right will allow her to rip up trails where-ever she goes bike park or Shore Smile ...Thanks a bunch to so many that contributed to making this happen, I'm still absolutely blown away by the generosity of the bike community!!
  • 3 2
 Beautiful girl inside out
  • 1 0
 I love that promise note.
  • 1 0
 Wonderful story to inspire all riders
  • 1 0
 once again Tara all the best for you and Elladee...
  • 1 0
 You are loved by so many .... and a very driven woman !!
  • 1 1
 great Tara with great bike...good luck ripping the trails
  • 1 1
 Beautiful pictures and inspirational story. See you on the trails Tara!
  • 1 1
 Tara Lianes is really history Smile
  • 1 0
 marry christmas.
  • 1 1
 Incredible!
  • 1 1
 Wow. That's great!
  • 1 1
 Respect!







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