Tanner Stephens - Free-Racer Extraordinaire | Locals Ep. 7

Locals Episode #7 comin’ at you hot! After a brief hiatus, we are back at it. A new week and a new shredder we get to introduce you to! This installment we caught up with Tanner Stevens, our token Free-Racer. An absolute riot on and off the bike, this shoot was full of laughter and roosts. Raised in the Bay Area, Tanner now lives in Colorado where he is attending CU Boulder. We jumped at the opportunity to catch him on spring break and get some shots of him getting loose for us.

Now, what is a Free-Racer you may ask? It’s the description used for anyone who is mastering the art of combining freeriding/racing/partying into one badass and rowdy lifestyle. Tanner is a prime example of this. He races in the pro class and attends high caliber events, but doesn’t let one series confine him. Stevens races where he wants, when he wants, based on the sickness of the events and other opportunities presenting themselves. With a relatively short attention span, it’s hard for Tanner to tie himself down and only do one full race series. Taking this as a positive, he expands his schedule to include multiple disciplines and event types.

Last summer Tanner and his buddies got a place up in Whistler for a month. Not to train, not to race, just to be at the mecca of gravity biking and have the time of their lives. A month in paradise didn't come without some bumps in the road. Living off mac 'n' cheese, shoving three dudes in a single bedroom condo, only having a mini fridge and a broken wrist didn't stop Tanner from having a blast. Rippin' and tearin' every day from sun up to sun down, whether it was trail riding, downhill, or in the bars. It’s refreshing to have a young rider these days not caught up racing or industry hype. Just out in the world looking to have a blast in the moment.

Although he knows how to have a good time, he knows when to buckle down. In the final stages of an Environmental Studies major, Stevens is interning with a solar power company. He looks to pursue a career in energy production. Tanner likes how separate renewable energy is from riding. Having spent a few years working in a bike shop and seeing the negative effects it had on his outlook on bikes, he chose something totally unrelated as a career. Keeping work and play separate makes bikes all about fun and keeps every moment an escape from the real world.

This season you can catch Tanner at select GRT’s, both North American EWS rounds and multiple local races around the US. With a successful summer getaway to Whistler last year, he looks to do it again. If you’re around Whistler in August you gotta make a point to do a lap with Tanner, he can show you how a Free-Racer gets down!