Bike Magazine 15.3 June 2008

Still Life

Last summer former NORBA dual-slalom and downhill champion Tara Llanes crashed while competing at a Jeep King of the Mountain race in Colorado, breaking five vertebrae in her back. The accident left her paralyzed from the waist down, but she promised to walk again. Tara attacked her rehab with the same intensity she showed on the racecourse and photographer Anne Keller was there to document her progress, from relearning to tie her shoes, to twitching her leg muscles for the first time. This is Tara's story, in her own words. BY TARA LLANES

A Fissure in the Prayer Flags

Altitude sickness, unpredictable border guards and foreign roads, all laid across rugged, oxygen-starved mountain passes. To a trio of riders exploring Tibet, these were the ingredients to a great adventure. The group managed to cut through the political strife, negotiate high-altitude passes and stay on their bikes until they had nearly completed their journey. Nearly. And then disaster struck. BY BRICE MINNIGH

Buzz

8 Pages of Just-Do-It inspiration

Crucible

Frame-builder Rick Hunter tackles the 2,500-mile-long Great Divide Race