One of Mountain Biking’s most colourful characters, Missy ‘the missile’ Giove, was charged and plead guilty to a count of conspiracy to possess drugs with the intent to distribute this week.


Famous for her flamboyant riding style, grungy attitude and perhaps most memorably for riding with her dead, dried pet piranha on a necklace and the ashes of her dead dog down her bra; Giove is a legend of the sport who won a World Championship and two overall World Cup titles. Her battles with France’s Anne-Caroline Chausson are stuff of legend and undoubtedly brought plenty of women to the sport as well as lots of attention to the sport as a whole.


Giove (37) was nevertheless arrested in June this year after collecting a trailer with 350-400lbs Marijuana from a Police informant in Albany California with a local man Eric Canori (30). On raiding her residence, the police found more pot, numerous cell phones, money counters and around 1-2 Million dollars cash in hidden duffel bags. The two now face up to 40 years behind bars (with a minimum of five years) and fines ranging up to $2 Million dollars.


A DEA spokesman couldn’t help but take the opportunity to work Giove’s career into the his statements, saying “(Drug) trafficking can lead you downhill fast.” and, “DEA and our law enforcement partners successfully put the brakes on this drug trafficking organisation and put them out of business.”


Giove is not expected to receive much in the way of leniency either with the courts expected to perceive the downhill star (who retired in 2003) as having flaunted her responsibilities as a roll-model.


More news as it comes to hand.. in the meantime check out this interview with Missy from the ‘Fat Tire Journal’ back in her days with Volvo-Cannondale


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I should also mention I saw Missy Giove race in 1996 in Les Gets, France.. she was devastating!