Rider: Lucas Baume
VICE’s Red Cards meets one of downhill biking’s all-time biggest names, Missy “The Missile” Giove. One of the first women to break out on the mountain biking scene in the 90s, Giove was known for her high-intensity riding style and outspoken personality. Her peddle to the meddle attitude did not always result in the safest rides, however, and Giove suffered several injuries throughout her career, eventually causing her to put down the bike.
With mounting medical bills and few other options for income after her career drew to a close, Giove sought a new form of adrenaline rush by smuggling millions of dollars worth of marijuana across the country. A massive DEA operation brought Giove head to head with law enforcement in 2009, and she faced up to 40 years in jail. Nearly 10 years later, we catch up with the daredevil to learn more about her life of high stakes racing.
I finally found what I’ve been searching for. After years of living in some of the snowiest places on the planet and experiencing lackluster winters in terms of snowfall, I was given an incredibly deep winter in Niseko, Japan. The amount of snow that these mountains produced in December alone was unbelievable. I’ve never seen anything like it. I had the freedom to ride every day, spending my mornings flying through dry Japanese powder that was truly bottomless. Jumping off cliffs and completely submerging when landing. This feeling I cannot describe, and my happiness cannot be measured. But what I can say is that my powder dreams have been realized.