Her unconventional preparation for the start, her direct manner and her merciless riding style made Missy Giove (* 20 January 1972 in New York) a star in the men's downhill world. A whole generation of bike fans dreamed of kissing her. But Missy only kissed the talisman she wore around her neck - her dried-up piranha Gonzo. It was part of Missy's pre-race ritual: She licked the sandy ground and stuffed some of her dead dog Ruffin's ashes into her bra before plunging in.
Missy Giove, the chameleon of the downhill scene. Nothing about her lasted. Her hair, the number of tattoos or piercings. She never wanted to be the staid competitive athlete à la Chausson, who rarely said more than "yes" and "no" to reporters. Missy, on the other hand, talked like a waterfall and threw around "fucks", "shits" and "damns". She was showered with advertising contracts, pursued by autograph hunters and wherever she appeared, she was still the centre of attention. Missy was a star in a sport that is still dominated by tough men today.
The story of "the Missile" began differently to that of many of her colleagues. She didn't ride BMX, and she knew about road cycling because Greg Lemond won the Tour de France. Her cycling career began with fortune biscuits and Peking duck - as a bike messenger for a Chinese restaurant. Day in, day out, she battled her way through New York traffic. That was her first training for a sport she knew nothing about.
Crashes are part of Giove's career
When a college friend bet her that she wouldn't dare ride down a ski slope on her bike, it was the starting signal for a special career. Missy borrowed a bike and raced downhill. She crashed countless times - and yet she had caught fire. After this icy downhill experience, she rode to her first victory in the beginner class in Mt. Vermont in 1989. Missy Giove now knew what she wanted: to become one of the best downhill riders in the world. Her rise was steep and fast: shortly after her first victories came the accolade when Yeti founder John Parker included her in the dream team. Not even 20 years old, she could call John Tomac, Miles Rockwell, Jimmy Deaton and Julie Furtado her team-mates.
Five years after her first victory, she crowned her career with lukewarm champagne at the World Championships in Vail/USA. Missy's winning run could only be watched with one eye by the faint-hearted. For her, it was all or nothing. Crashes were as much a part of Missy as her countless victories. Almost 40 broken bones and three months in a wheelchair are her very own souvenirs from this time. But her winning streak came to an abrupt end when Anne Caroline Chausson entered the downhill circus. In Anne, Missy met her match - her Mr Hyde. The two became rivals outside of the races as well. The climax of the dispute was the mud race in Les Gets in 1998. Neither of them managed to complete the course without crashing, not even the Chausson machine. On the steepest section, Anne was at the mercy of the mud and slid 20 metres downhill on her protector trousers. She got up and wanted to get back on the track, but the slippery hill put a spanner in the works. The seconds ticked by, but the national consciousness of the French fans boiled over. They pulled her up, watched by countless photographers and television cameras. At the finish, Chausson was once again the winner. The organisers turned a blind eye and did not disqualify her. Missy went berserk and was about to come to blows with her, but it was just the usual Giove insults.
Missy Giove ended her glorious career in 2003. Two overall World Cup victories, a world championship title and countless race wins crowned her professional years. Today she works as a representative of X-biking, a type of spinning bike - not quite so wild anymore. But one thing is certain: Missy Giove remains the hottest downhiller of all time, even if she broke the hearts of many of us.
