Throwback Thursday: Can You Name This Rider?
Downhill racing at Big Bear, California
That uniform may not look familiar to you now, but it was the uniform of some of the hottest downhill stars in the world 24 years ago. The rider in the above picture is Missy Giove.
Missy was one of the hottest downhill stars in the world through much of the 1990’s and early 2000’s.
As a matter of fact, Missy won the UCI’s Downhill World Championship title in 1994 and then she won the UCI’s World Cup Series titles for both 1996 and 1997.
This photo was taken at Snow Summit in Big Bear, California, in early June of 2001. If you look closely, you might be able to see that Missy’s stars-and-stripes-emblazoned number plate indicates that Missy was the NORBA National Champion of the year 2000. The year 2001 was Missy’s first year on the Global Racing team.
Missy took second in the downhill this day to fellow American Marla Streb.
Joining Missy on the Global Team in 2001 were Mick Hannah and Greg Minnaar, who finished first and fourth, respectively, in the Pro Men’s Downhill at Big Bear this day. Hannah and Minnaar also finished first and second, respectively, in Big Bear’s Dual Slalom event that weekend.
(Photo and info by John Ker/Mountain Bike Action)
