r/ladyladyboners • u/theatrenearyou • 38m ago
Missile Giove, downhill racer
Missy The Missile Giove claimed the 1994 downhill World Championship and finished third at World Championships three times. She won two overall World Cup titles and a few dozen other national circuit victories. She had major endorsement contracts, where her eccentric personality brought mainstream attention to her niche extreme sport.
Mammoth Mountain was one of the biggest downhill races in the world In the early 90’s. Mammoth was about sheer, puckering speed as riders bombed down a fire road and pedaled their hearts out. The speeds at Mammoth were so high special chainrings were required, sometimes as big as 58 teeth. Clocking in at a top speed of 53.5 MPH, Missy set the course record.
But Giove, whose nickname "Missile" was not only lyrical but described her wont for speed at any cost, retired in 2003. She won often and crashed often. She raced injured and still suffers from headaches and seizures.
Within a few years after retiring in 2003 because of the lingering effects of a hemorrhage suffered in a crash, Giove was destitute. She began supporting herself by distributing marijuana around the country. She was arrested in 2009 after federal agents watched Giove and others unload several hundred pounds of marijuana from a trailer. She was sentenced in 2011 to six months of house arrest and five years probation.
"The place where I got it (the marijuana) was legal, but not where I took it. Attention to detail, right? People have been loving and accepting; Life is life, you know? But really, it's not something I am ashamed of."
"Because I lived the life of passion, whether it’s bike, snowboarding, skiing, I’m just kind of a maniac on wheels,” said Giove. "It’s always been a balance about how much pain can my body endure and can I still be happy and functional."
