In the early years of mountain biking, she was regarded as one of the most flamboyant and successful figures on the racing circuit. Missy Giove embodied the sport of mountain biking like hardly anyone else. The American won a World Cup race eleven times, in 1994 she became world champion - and now Giove seems to have reached the low point of her life. She was arrested for drug trafficking on a large scale and now faces up to 40 years in prison.

The arrest of former downhill world champion Missy Giove in September caused quite a stir. Giove has now pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and faces a prison sentence of up to five years.