September 3/07 5:57 am - Tara Llanes Badly Injured at the Jeep KOM Event

Posted by Editor on 09/3/07
 

There is lots of talk here at the Mountain Bike Worlds about the serious injuries the popular American 4-Crosser Tara Llanes suffered on the weekend at the Jeep KOM event in Beaver Creek, Colorado. Llanes crashed in the semi-finals, breaking her back, and was airlifted to a hospital in Denver, where she underwent seven hours of surgery on Sunday. Llanes' family subsequently issued a statement:

"We will continue to learn more about her injuries in the upcoming weeks and will continue to keep you posted. Since coming out of surgery, Tara, drugged and very happy, has kept in good spirit and has promised not to let this beat her. We ask that you have as much faith as Tara does throughout this difficult period. In the meantime, we are hoping Tara will be able to come back home in 1 to 2 weeks."

I have spent lots of time kibitzing with Tara at races over the years, and she is always one of the most positive, upbeat people on the circuit. Our best wishes to Tara and her family.