Tara Janelle Llanes (born November 28, 1976, in West Covina, California[1] United States) is a Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer and a wheelchair basketball player whose prime competitive years were from 1990 to 1993.

Her surname is pronounced "Yaw-ness" but for obvious reasons it is often mispronounced "lanes" as in the type of division of a pathway.

Primary sponsorships can be verified by BMX press coverage and sponsor's advertisements at the time in question.

During this time she also suffered numerous injuries including punctured lungs and a broken foot.

She asked the BMX team manager of Haro Designs who was sponsoring her repeatedly to try it and he finally relented.

[16] Sub Discipline(s): Down Hill, 4-Cross, Dual Slalom and Cross Country First race result: According to Llanes's website.

[17] Sanctioning body: National Off-Road Bicycle Association (NORBA) Turned Professional: 1996 Retired: Her career has been on hold since her paralyzing injury suffered at the Jeep King of the Mountain finals event in Beaver Creek, Colorado, on September 1, 2007.

Primary sponsorships can be verified by MTB press coverage and sponsor's advertisements at the time in question.

National Off-Road Bicycle Association (NORBA) USA Cycling ESPN Extreme (X) Games: Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) National Off-Road Bicycle Association (NORBA) USA Cycling “I went back to my foot specialist and he looked over the CT Scan,”she wrote.

"[25]On September 1, 2007, Llanes crashed at Beaver Creek, Colorado, host to the Jeep King of the Mountain Finale.

The accident happened on the second to last straight down the Dual Slalom course as she raced head-to-head against Jill Kintner in the semifinals.

She was first rushed to Vail Valley Medical Center and then was airlifted to Denver Health Hospital.

Then my life and everything I had dreamed of and accomplished flashed before my eyes as I laid there on the ground trying to understand why I was in such pain and why my legs just wouldn't move.

"[28]Llanes continues to undergo intensive rehabilitation and as of late 2008 she could move her left leg.

Not to her of course..."[30]Llanes took a new career selling adaptive mountain bikes, and began playing wheelchair tennis.

Her friend, Richard Peter encouraged this, in the belief that it would improve her performance on the tennis court.

[31] Llanes was a member of the Canadian women's wheelchair basketball team at the Paralympic Games in 2020 and 2024.