Tarah Gieger
MOTO/SURF
One of etnies Girls triple threats, Tarah Gieger not only excels at motocross, but in surfing and skateboarding as well. In fact, if she wasn't a pro motocross racer, she claims she'd be a professional surfer. She may have been joking when she said that, but judging by her talent, athleticism, drive and skill, we bet she's right. It also doesn't hurt that she grew up between Puerto Rico and Florida, where her parents own and operate a popular surf shop.
Another of Tarah's claims is that she began riding motocross because her parents gave her a bike instead of the go-cart she had requested. It has now been more than seven years since that fateful decision was made, and she has since risen to become one of the fastest women in motocross in the world. So far, 2004 has been her biggest season to date, achieving her personal best by conquering the previously undefeated Steffi Laier at Cycle Ranch, securing national championships at both Loretta Lynn's and the Z1R WMA Cup and placing second overall in the AMA/WMA Nationals.
Over the years, Tarah has proven she's not afraid to go hard and give it her all. She's had several broken bones to prove it, including broken wrists, collarbone, ribs, pelvis and vertebrae. Her 2005 season was marred with injuries, but the setbacks haven't deterred Tarah as she is currently in training, building strength and getting ready to chase the AMA/WMA Championship title yet again in 2006. Taking it day by day, her short-term goal is simply to do better than the day before.
In her free time, Tarah enjoys watching movies, including surf and skate movies and comedies. She doesn't like horror movies or lizards because they both scare her kind of ironic for a girl who has nailed a backflip on a bike. Her advice for girls who want to follow in her footsteps is don't be too scared to ride with the boys.
