BIKEsutra:
What's the worst injury of them all?
Tara: This last crash because there were so many injuries
it took longer to heal. Especially because it was my left collarbone
and my right knee so both sides of me were screwed up!
[Report
on Tara's injury at Velonews.com]
BIKEsutra: What is
your bike's setup?
Tara: I ride a Yeti ASR with
Manitou Black forks, Fox rear shock, IRC Kujo's, Shimano shifting
and braking, Mavic rims, and an MRP chain guide.
BIKEsutra: Who are
your greatest competitors for 2003?
Tara: Probably Anne-Caro and
Katrina.
BIKEsutra: Where do
you ride for leisure, when you are not training?
Tara: I like doing fun downhill
runs at Ortega in So. Cal or just riding with my friends Matt
and Tim in Laguna.
BIKEsutra: What else
do you do for fun?
Tara: I like going to the clubs
and dancing with friends, riding my moto, playing pick-up games
(basketball), or just relaxing at the movies.
BIKEsutra: Who is your
role model(s)?
Tara: My Mom. She raised me
by herself and I'm very proud of her.
BIKEsutra: What would
you be if you were not a professional racer?
Tara: Well if I could sing I'd
be a rock star, but I can't so I'm SOL. :) I'd probably try
my hand in T.V. or just try another professional sport. Who
knows.
BIKEsutra:
How do you psyche yourself up before an event?
Tara: I actually try to psyche
down. Nerves are already part of the game. The key for me is
to just chill and focus. I'll just warm up, look over the course
and see where I can make moves and where I have an advantage.
BIKEsutra: Tell us
something about Tara Llanes that we don't already know.
Tara: Ummm....I guess most people
don't know I was supposed to go to college on a basketball scholarship.
BIKEsutra: What is
your training program like?
Tara: A little bit of everything.
Road bike, XC rides, fun downhilling, going jumping, riding
my moto, swimming, plyos, sprints, intervals. You have to mix
it up so that you don't get stagnant.
BIKEsutra: Do you keep
a special diet?
Tara: Well, I use a lot of EAS
products. I use just about every product they make. The shakes,
bars, protein drinks, piranha energy drinks, etc. Other than
that I eat a lot of chicken, fish, vegetables, and tons of fruit.
BIKEsutra: What would
be the one thing you would do if you could change the sport
of DH?
Tara: I don't know if I would
want to change the sport of downhilling, but I would want to
bring more money into it. I'd have camera's at almost every
turn and a huge monitor at the bottom so everyone could see
the entire run. I'd have bleachers at the bottom with vendors
walking around like at a baseball game and make it more relaxing
than having to climb up a mountain for an hour to watch your
favorite rider come down and only see him for 2.4 seconds. If
people could only see some of the crazy stuff we ride down it
would be awesome.
BIKEsutra:
You have one of the most cool (and updated!) websites among
professional racers. What inspired you to create such a website?
Tara: My old roommate Robbie
Miranda made his own site and I saw how creative and interactive
it was. He had so many more fans than he thought. Once he put
his site up he couldn't believe how many people were interested.
Also I had a lot of people coming up to me at races asking if
I had a site. So finally I asked Robbie to make one for me.
BIKEsutra: Do you have
any advice to others who want to "do what you do"?
Tara: I guess you just kind
of have to go for it and take a chance. Take a good look at
what your strengths and weaknesses are and work on them. Don't
ever give up and one of the most important things is to NEVER
forget who helped you along the way. Don't ever let your head
get big because one day it will all be over....just stay positive!
