A fascinating video called ‘The Champion Mountain Biker Turned Drug Smuggler’ tells the tale of the one and only Missy Giove.

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Who is Missy Giove?

Back in some people’s version of the glory days of MTB (ie. riders aged 40+) the name of Missy Giove was a guarantee of entertainment. Whether it was watching her race or just listening to her sound off about something or just hearing some gossip about the latest “she did what?” outrage, you would always read something if it had Missy or Giove in the headline.

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With her wild appearance and big mouth she stood out as a American wild child in a sea of fairly dull and conservative Euro racers. She was more than just a mouth though. She won a total of 11 World Cup Downhills and twice won the World Cup overall. She was also the 1994 World Champ.

She was a big deal both on and off the track.

She began her proper racing career for Yeti. And she is clearly still extremely fond of the old beat-up Yeti she stands beside in the above video. Actually though she did most of her best racing for the Volvo-Cannondale team in the early to mid nineties.

She retired from racing in 2003 but, unbeknownst to a lot of folk, she still kept a keen interest in the sport and actually personally financed several up and coming young American DH racers.

In 2009 she was arrested and convicted on charges of conspiring to possess and distribute 384 pounds of marijuana. She served her time througha mix of home-detention and supervised release.

Missy Giove is totally NSFW

In a typically excellent surprise move Giove, aged 43 at the time, returned to World Cup racing in 2015 for a one-off appearance at Windham.

A swear-filled and excellent video featuring the legend that is Missy Giove. Don’t know who Missy Giove is? Watch this and get schooled.

WARNING: contains lots and lots of really bad language.

The video above however is perhaps most interesting for giving us an unprecedented look into the early days of Missy. Before she even rode a mountain bike and grew up as a “city rat” in New York getting up to all sorts of Miss-chief.

Video description

The Pro’s Closet: “Missy was known for her personality and style as much as she was for her riding. Her wild hair, wild attitude, eccentric quirks, and undeniable speed earned her a devoted and fanatical following. This charismatic Hall-of-Famer has big plans for her future and wants you to come along.”