Tara : I started my company in 2014 , when adaptive mountain biking was still in its infancy stages . I ’ d moved to Vancouver in late 2009 and had been here for a few years when a couple friends wanted to get me back on the mountain . They contacted a company in Poland called Sport-On that made some of the most technically advanced adaptive mountain bikes on the market . I ’ d had my bike for about a year and any time I was on the trails people would ask me about it and say that they had a friend or knew someone that would love to ride one . I got in touch with the owner and let him know there was a real need for adaptive mountain bikes like this in Canada and that I ’ d love to start selling them here . It turned out that I ’ d met the Canadian rep when I was still living in California because he was living in the state as well . I was able to get the blessing of the rep to take over all of Canada . At that point I had to figure out how to run a business !
I had no idea how to run a sales business . I learned a lot from my ex who had been the B . C . sales rep for Shimano for quite some time . It was A LOT of trial and error . From the beginning , though , I always believed that so much of it was about working with adaptive organizations . There are many reasons for that but soon after I started working with Whistler Adaptive and it ’ s been a great partnership . It ’ s now 2023 and adaptive mountain biking has grown a ton and I don ’ t see it stopping any time soon .
AfA : How does it feel knowing you are an inspiration and mentor to other wheelchair users ?
Tara : I prefer to use the word
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