Dr. Inmate.... Justice!

The interview is 1/2 way thru the clip

http://a1135.g.akamai.net/f/1135/18227/1h/cchannel.download.akamai.com/18227/podcast/LOSANGELES-CA/KFI-AM/JK1104096P.mp3?CPROG=PCAST&MARKET=LOSANGELES-CA&NG_FORMAT=talk&SITE_ID=616&STATION_ID=KFI-AM&PCAST_AUTHOR=KFI_AM_640&PCAST_CAT=Arts_and_Entertainment&PCAST_TITLE=KFI_AM_640_JOHN_AND_KEN

Fuck him!!!!

LA road-rage trial closing arguments wrap up

By Patrick Brady

Published: Oct. 30, 2009

Road Rage Trial: Thompson's rear window after the July 4 incident.

Photo: Chris Roberts

Prosecutors and defense attorneys made closing arguments Thursday in Los Angeles, in the trial of a former emergency room doctor accused of injuring two cyclists when he stopped his car suddenly in front of them.

Dr. Christopher Thomas Thompson's attorney said it was all an accident. "This was not an attempt to hurt anyone."

Deputy District Attorney Mary Stone said Thompson's actions "crossed a line you cannot cross."

Thompson is accused of assault with a deadly weapon, reckless driving causing specified bodily injury, battery with serious bodily injury and mayhem. The most serious charges stem from a July 4, 2008, incident on the road where Thompson lives. Other charges relate to a similar incident on the same road that did not result in injuries.

Stone said that, in the earlier incident, Thompson had three options when he caught up to cyclists Patrick Watson and Josh Crosby as they descended Mandeville Canyon Road. He could have driven behind the two cyclists at 30 mph (the speed limit and the cyclists' speed according to GPS data) or he could have passed them and kept driving. Instead, he passed them and then stopped, later saying that he wanted to take a picture, a claim Stone called “patently ridiculous.”

In that incident, Watson and Crosby said they narrowly avoiding hitting the rear of Thompson's Infiniti sedan when he stopped.

Stone played Thompson’s 911 call, from after the July 4 incident, once again for the jurors. Jurors heard Thompson tell the operator, “They said fuck you; I slammed on my brakes.”

On the tape the operator asked Thompson if the injuries were serious, and he said, “They’ll tell you they are, but they’re not.”

“What a callous statement is that?” Stone asked. “He had no right to make that statement."

Stone reminded the jury how the first police officer to arrive testified that Thompson told him: “I wanted to teach (the cyclists) a lesson,” and “I’m tired of them.”

Those words did not fit with the profile of a man who, as an MD, “knows the fragility of the human body,” Stone told the jury.

Defense closing

Defense attorney Peter Swarth began by putting a sheet of paper on an overhead projector. It had a single word, “accident.”

“This was an accident that could happen to anyone,” he said.

Swarth portrayed the cyclists as at fault; they “endangered (Thompson) by not allowing him to pass,” he said.

“If you have even a feather of doubt, then you have reasonable doubt and you must acquit,” Thompson said.

In regard to the Fourth of July incident, Swarth asked the jury, “Where is the evidence of anger? The injury doesn’t make this criminal.”

He accused Ron Peterson and Christian Stoehr, the riders in the July 4 incident, of being dishonest and said of Stoehr, “He looked back at his friend Ron Peterson; he lost his balance and fell.”

Of Peterson (a cycling coach) he said, “This teacher, teaching his student about the dangers of the road, teaches him about anger.”

He referenced Stone’s statements about the permanence of Peterson and Stoehr’s injuries and then asked the jury, “Where does Dr. Thompson go to get his reputation back?

Next, he asked, “If you’re in a rage why are you going to get out of your car and call 911?”

Speaking of the 911 recording, Swarth said, “Did he choose the best words? No. This was not an attempt to hurt anyone. He wanted to get a photo.”

Swarth sought to convince the jury that Thompson was actively seeking to create a safer situation. “The universe is like that ... the thing you seek to avoid becomes the thing you can’t avoid.”

“The facts in this case don’t add up to a criminal act.”

The final word

In Stone’s rebuttal, she laid out an allegory of sorts, re-telling the three Mandeville Canyon incidents the prosecution presented during the trial.

Related articles:

Oct. 30, 2009: Closing arguments
Oct. 29, 2009: Thompson cross-examined
Oct. 28, 2009: Dr. Thompson takes the stand
Oct. 26, 2009: Prosecution rests
Oct. 22, 2009: 'I wanted to teach them a lesson'
Oct. 20, 2009: Defense suggests cyclists were looking for a fight
Oct. 19, 2009: Road-rage trial begins
Oct. 12, 2009: California road-rage case heads for court
Dec. 24, 2008: Mionske: Mandeville incident inspires Cyclists Bill of Rights
Aug. 15, 2008: Mionske: Bikes v. cars
Aug. 8, 2008: Mionske: Where's the justice?
July 14, 2008: Mailbag: Readers sound off
July 13, 2008: Doctor charged
July 10, 2008: LA incident rallies cyclists

First, she goes to a Trader Joe’s. Goes to the aisle where they have granola she wants. Someone is in the way, preventing her from getting her granola, so she swings a bat at the person, but doesn't hit him. With that, Stone held up a baseball bat, swinging in an abrupt arc.

Weeks go by. She returns to the Trader Joe’s and again there’s someone in the way, someone preventing her from getting her granola. This time she swings the bat at them and they duck just out of the way.

A few more weeks go by and she’s back at Trader Joe’s. Someone, she said, “is in my aisle, blocking me from my granola. So I blast his nose with my bat.”

“But of course, I get arrested.”

Then, donning a white doctor’s coat, she said, “But I shroud myself in this because I want to deflect what I did.”

What's next?

The court is closed Friday. A jury verdict is expected early next week. If convicted of all charges, Thompson could spend up to five years in prison.

USA Cycling Professional Championships to be contested three weeks later than previous editions in Greenville

USA Cycling Professional Championships to be contested three weeks later than previous editions in Greenville

GREENVILLE, S.C. (October 29, 2009) – The Greenville Hospital System USA Cycling Professional Championships will return to Greenville, S.C. for a fifth consecutive year in 2010, with new dates set for September 18-19, 2010. The Championship weekend features the USA Cycling Professional Time Trial Championship on Saturday and the USA Cycling Professional Road Race Championship on Sunday.

USA Cycling, which owns and sanctions the event, has extended the licensing agreement for 2010 with Medalist Sports, a sports management company that specializes in the planning, promotion and production of professional cycling and fundraising events. Medalist Sports has produced the Championships since 2006. The Greenville Hospital System USA Cycling Professional Championships is part of the USA Cycling Professional Tour, a men’s-only, season-long calendar comprised of UCI events that determines the best professional rider and team on American soil. It is also one of 17 national championship events that USA Cycling, Inc. sanctions across five disciplines in the sport for amateurs and professionals.

“We appreciate the ongoing support of the city of Greenville and the Greenville Hospital System,” said Sean Petty, USA Cycling chief operating officer. “We also appreciate Greenville’s understanding and flexibility in adjusting the dates for the 2010 event. While the date change was out of our hands, the result is a good one as U.S. riders who are preparing for the World Championships will have the ability to do quality, final preparation at North American events starting with Tour of Missouri, followed by the Canadian Pro Tour events and the USA Cycling Pro Championships.”

The USA Cycling Professional Championships will be contested three weeks later than the previous editions in Greenville. The date change was precipitated by a number of changes to the international racing calendar. In 2010, two new UCI-sanctioned Pro Tour events have been scheduled in Montreal and Quebec City, Canada (September 10 and 12, respectfully), thus shifting the Tour of Missouri, to August 30 – September 5th. The USA Cycling Professional Championships will be followed by the UCI Road World Championships, scheduled for September 29 – October 3, in Melbourne, Australia.

“I’m very excited that the USA Cycling Professional Championships are coming back to Greenville for 2010 and the new dates should fit nicely into a very exciting fall schedule,” said George Hincapie. “I’m proud to have won the Championship for the third time and I’m looking forward to defending the title with my new team, BMC Racing. The only thing better than winning the stars-and-stripes jersey is being able to wear that jersey for the entire racing season. With my new team, I will focus on the spring classics, and the fall will be my second priority. It looks like my season will end up with great races like the Tour of Missouri, the new Canadian Pro Tour events, the US Pro Championships and the World Championships.”

Medalist Sports also announced today results and a summary of the 2009 event.
o David Zabriskie (Salt Lake City, UT; Team Garmin - Slipstream) repeats as USA Cycling Professional Individual Time Trial Champion
o George Hincapie (Greenville, SC; Team Highroad – HTC) wins as USA Cycling Professional Road Race Champion
o Greenville Hospital System as Title Sponsor and Duke Energy as Presenting Sponsor
o Over 80,000 spectators attended the event weekend
o Over $120,000 raised for charity by the Palmetto Peloton Project (over $400,000 in four years) by 750 riders, who represented 21 states and two countries
o Over 120 credentialed, national media covered the event
o Live television coverage in partnership with WYFF-4 (NBC)
o Website visits from all 50 states and 130 countries
o Partnership with the US Handcycling Federation (USHF)

“The amazing community support since being awarded the Championships in 2006 is one of the main reasons to stage the event in the Upstate for another year. In addition to world-class courses, a strong foundation has been built with the help of partners such as the Greenville Hospital System, Duke Energy, the City of Greenville and Greenville County,” said Chris Aronhalt, managing partner of Medalist Sports. “These Championships provide a first-class venue for the best professional cyclists in the country, and has now become an annual tradition for the Greenville community.”

Additional details regarding activities and event schedule for the 2010 Championships will be announced at a later date. All updates will be made available at the official website www.usacyclingchampionships.com.

Photo caption: Nearly 200 of the nation’s best professional cyclists took to the start of the Greenville Hospital Systems USA Cycling Professional Championships on Sunday, Aug. 30 in downtown Greenville, S.C.
Photo credit: Casey B. Gibson/USA Cycling


ABOUT MEDALIST SPORTS
Medalist Sports is a full-service international sports management company. Medalist Sports specializes in the planning, promotion and marketing of multi-day, multi-jurisdiction sports and fundraising events. The Medalist Sports team has experience in all facets of the successful management and promotion of world-class sporting and cycling events in the United States, Australia and China. Clients and event experience include the Amgen Tour of California, Tour of Missouri, USA Cycling, Inc. and the Lance Armstrong Foundation’s LIVESTRONG Challenge Series. Medalist Sports’ headquarters are located south of metro Atlanta, Georgia. The company website is www.medalistsports.com.

ABOUT GREENVILLE HOSPITAL SYSTEM
Greenville Hospital System is one of the Southeast’s leading healthcare providers, nationally recognized for advanced technology, innovative research and teaching excellence. The system's five campuses include a Level I trauma center, three acute-care hospitals and numerous outpatient facilities. GHS’ Cancer Center offers the region’s broadest array of cancer specialists, many working through the Oncology Multidisciplinary Center. This multidisciplinary approach to the effective management of cancer allows patients to meet with a medical oncologist, radiation oncologist and surgical oncologist to receive a comprehensive treatment plan all in one day. More information is available at www.ghs.org.

ABOUT PALMETTO PELOTON PROJECT
The Palmetto Peloton Project (P3), based in Greenville, S.C., exists to promote the advancement of cancer research and advocacy efforts locally, regionally and nationally through fundraising cycling events. Through support from local businesses and enthusiastic cyclists, the Palmetto Peloton Project has raised over $400,000 for cancer research and advocacy since its inception in 2005. In 2009 as part of the Greenville Hospital System USA Cycling Professional Championships, P3 will host the “Stars and Stripes Challenge” for a fourth year, a recreational cycling event to support local cancer research. For more information, visit www.palmettopelotonproject.org.

ABOUT USA CYCLING
Recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the Union Cycliste Internationale, USA Cycling is the official governing body for all disciplines of competitive cycling in the United States, including road, track, mountain bike, BMX, and cyclo-cross. As a membership-based organization, USA Cycling consists of 64,000+ licensees including 1,500 coaches, 4,000 student-athletes, 2,200 officials, 1,800 clubs and teams, 350 professional cyclists, 200 certified mechanics, and 34 local associations. The national governing body sanctions 2,500 competitive and non-competitive events throughout the U.S. each year and is responsible for the identification, development, and support of American cyclists through various initiatives and programs. Additionally, USA Cycling conducts national championship events for all categories of amateur and professional cycling. To learn more about USA Cycling, visit www.usacycling.org.

ABOUT U.S. HANDCYCLING
United States Handcycling Federation, is an association of individuals and organizations that creates integrated cycling opportunities for wheelchair users and athletes with lower-mobility impairments, including disabled veterans and members of the U.S. Armed Forces. The U.S Handcycling Series, presented by the Paralyzed Veteran's of America, is the premier Para-Cycling racing series in North America and will feature more than 150 of the World’s top cyclists with disabilities, racing at major – integrated – cycling events across America. Shining the spotlight on the elite athleticism of Paralympic cyclists, this series focuses on the “ability” rather than the “disability” of its participants, most notably disabled veterans. Visit www.ushf.org.

responce from a USA today article...

These bike riders that ride in the middle of the road are just plain stupid for playing in traffic.And then they wonder why they get hit. Lots of big fast moving vehicles wizzing by that will send them flying. That little bike helmet will crack open like an egg shell along with your skull. These idiots on the bikes that got run over and killed were riding on a road with no shoulder. Very bad idea.. My buddy has a lifted F-350 diesel and comes around a blind turn and there they were. Like a couple of squirrels in the road waiting to get squashed. He just crushed the one and the other went flying 30 feet head first into a tree. Both dead on impact. There was chunks of flesh and clothing on his bumper. But he was lucky he didn't get hurt When you ride your bicycles like that on roads with no shoulders where cars are going 50 mph you are going to end up a red skid mark of road kill. Somebody texting or talking on their cell phone can take you out and turn you into road kill in an instant.

Yup - that's america for ya -

From Velonews

'I want to teach them a lesson." — Road rage trial resumes.

LAPD investigator tells jury in road rage trial he was shocked at a driver's comments.

By Patrick Brady

Published: Oct. 22, 2009

A traffic investigator told jurors in the Los Angeles road rage trial this week that a driver’s comment at the scene of the incident “was so shocking his words burned into my brain.”

Dr. Christopher Thomas Thompson is on trial in Los Angeles Superior Court for assault and other charges related to an incident on a narrow canyon road involving two cyclists on the Fourth of July, 2008. Thompson also faces charges related to a similar, earlier, incident on the same road, involving a different cyclist. If convicted of all charges, Thompson could spend up to five years in prison.

Prosecutors say that after a brief exchange of words on the Fourth, Thompson passed the two cyclists then slammed on his brakes, causing the riders to crash into the rear his car.

On Tuesday, the jury heard testimony from a Los Angeles police traffic investigator, a doctor who treated the cyclists at the scene and a plastic surgeon who operated on one of the cyclists’ broken nose. The testimony was graphic enough that one juror had to leave the court room for a few minutes after feeling faint. Jurors also heard from the cyclist who says he had the earlier encounter with Thompson.

After a break Wednesday, testimony resumes Thursday.

’Burned into my brain’

LAPD traffic investigator Robert Rodriguez said he arrived at the scene on Mandeville Canyon Road with the fire department and asked Thompson what happened.

According to Rodriguez, Thompson said, “I just live up the road. I was driving to go to work. The bikers were in front of me, three across. I honked my horn and yelled ‘ride single file.’ The bicyclists flipped me off and yelled back. I passed them up and stopped in front to teach them a lesson. I’m tired of them. I’ve lived here for years and they always ride like this.”

Thompson’s attorney, Peter Swarth, questioned Rodriguez extensively about how he could recall the exact words, since Rodriguez did not write them down for more than 90 minutes.

Later, Deputy District Attorney Mary Stone asked Rodriguez in re-direct examination how he was able to remember.

Rodriguez replied, “That statement was so shocking his words burned into my brain.”

Stone asked, “Have you ever been to a collision where someone said they wanted to teach that person a lesson?”

“Never,” said Rodriguez.

Rodriguez said that after Thompson’s comments, he decided the incident was assault with a deadly weapon and called the department’s patrol division to take over the investigation.

Samaritan neighbor

Physician Bruce Rogen later testified that he came upon the scene while driving up the canyon to his home that morning.

Rogen said he approached Peterson, who was “sitting cross-legged leaning forward dripping blood. The piece of cloth to his face was sodden with blood. There was a fair amount of trauma. I identified myself as a doctor and asked a few questions. I was concerned there could be more damage.”

Rogen checked Peterson for a head injury. He checked the injury to Peterson’s nose and removed his own shirt and used it to apply pressure to the wound.

In listening to the description of Peterson’s blood loss, one juror began feeling faint and court was recessed for five minutes.

On cross-examination, Swarth asked Rogen about any exchange he had with Thompson and with the cyclists regarding Thompson — a former emergency room physician.

“(The cyclists) didn’t want him to treat them,” he said. “They didn’t want him nearby." Asked to describe Thompson, he said, “He seemed agitated, anxious.”

Surgeon testifies

Geoffrey Keyes is the plastic surgeon who operated on Peterson. In his testimony he said Peterson’s injuries included a broken nose and broken internal structures as well as scars on his lip, chin and nose. He needed nasal septul reconstruction.

The surgery was performed under general anesthesia, required re-breaking the nose and using chisels to shape the bone and took an hour and half to complete. Displays included photographs taken before and after the surgery.

The earlier incident

Previous articles:

Oct. 20, 2009: Defense suggests cyclists were looking for a fight
Oct. 19, 2009: Road-rage trial begins
Oct. 12, 2009: California road-rage case heads for court
Dec. 24, 2008: Mionske: Mandeville incident inspires Cyclists Bill of Rights
Aug. 15, 2008: Mionske: Bikes v. cars
Aug. 8, 2008: Mionske: Where's the justice?
July 14, 2008: Mailbag: Readers sound off
July 13, 2008: Doctor charged
July 10, 2008: LA incident rallies cyclists

Final testimony on the day came from Patrick Watson, a former professional adventure racer who filed charges against Thompson for an alleged incident that occurred in March, 2008.

Watson said he and training partner Josh Crosby were descending at roughly 30 mph —the speed limit for the road — when Thompson approached from behind. Crosby and Watson moved to ride single file, he said.

Watson said, “The car came so fast and so close I had to jump off the road. I did a bunny hop up the curb into the grass. When I jumped back on the road Thompson slammed on his brakes.”

Watson said he bunny hopped back onto the curb and stopped. He got off his bike and leaned it against a fence.

“(Thompson) drove straight at me and then he drove off,” he said.

Watson contacted the police and attempted to press charges, but ultimately, no charges were filed.

Asked by Stone why he contacted the district attorney, Watson said, “I wanted to make sure they did something this time.”

Garmin

TEAM GARMIN-SLIPSTREAM ANNOUNCES EXCITING ADDITIONS TO 2010 TEAM ROSTER

Team continues mission of developing young talent while adding accomplished pro riders

BOULDER, COLORADO (September 1, 2009) — Team Garmin-Slipstream, the American professional cycling team dedicated to ethical sporting and developing the next generation of cycling champions, today announced six exciting additions to its 2010 roster:

Robbie Hunter – the South African joins from Barloworld and in his new role with the Garmin-Slipstream squad will be a huge asset in leading out sprinter Tyler Farrar. Garmin will also look to Hunter for various stage wins throughout the year.

Fredrik Kessiakoff – Kessiakoff is undoubtedly one of the most talented, though slightly unknown, climbers in the peloton. The Garmin team has a history of helping lesser-known riders blossom and believes Kessiakoff is no exception. The four-time Swedish mountain biking champion joins the team from Fuji-Servetto.

Michel Kreder – 21 year-old Kreder is a climber who can also sprint, and Garmin will look for him to perform in one-day races and stage races. His younger brother Raymond currently rides for Slipstream’s Felt-Holowesko Partners U-23 team.

Peter Stetina – true to its mission of developing the best young American talent, Garmin is calling up Peter Stetina from the ranks of its U-23 team, Felt-Holowesko partners. The two-time U-23 National Time Trial Champion has been with the Slipstream operation since the outfit started when he was just 15 years old.

Johan Vansummeren – the two-time top ten finisher of Paris Roubaix joins Garmin from Silence-Lotto, where he supported Cadel Evans. The addition of Vansummeren creates a triple-threat for Garmin’s Cobbled Classics crew, including Martijin Maaskant and Tyler Farrar.

Tom Zirbel – the number-one ranked rider on the domestic circuit, Zirbel is an accomplished time trialist and was recently second in the US National Time Trial Championships to Garmin’s own David Zabriskie.

“We’re poised for another exciting year with these riders rounding out an already strong roster,” said Jonathan Vaughters, CEO of Slipstream Sports. “We started the team with the goal of developing young talent, so riders Peter Stetina and Michel Kreder were natural fits for us. And this year we’ll continue to build on the success Tyler has had by giving him more lead-out guys, and the success that Christian and Wiggo have had in the mountains by adding talented climbers. But make no mistake, the riders on this list are all capable of stage wins and one-day race victories. 2010 is shaping up to be a big year for us.”

Team Garmin-Slipstream will unveil a full roster later this year.

Time for a break from racing....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYvOgnabABU&feature=related

Performance??????

I guess we really are Dorks!

Bruno Kammerl jumps

Just a break from the bike-

Tour of Missouri

Planet Energy rounds out roster

Tour of Missouri organisers announced the Canadian team Planet Energy as the 15th and final squad for the September race this week.

The team will join ProTour teams Astana, Columbia-HTC, Garmin-Slipstream, Liquigas, Quick Step and Saxo Bank and Professional Continental teams Cervelo TestTeam and BMC. Domestic teams include Jelly Belly, OUCH presented by Maxxis, BissellPro Cycling Team, Colavita / Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light, Kelly Benefit Strategies and Team Type 1. BMC Racing, which is a Swiss and American based team, rounds out the field.

"Just as we have a commitment to top American teams, we have always tried to include a top North American-based continental team in this race to support the goals of the UCI," said Chris Aronhalt, managing partner of Medalist Sports, the tour's organizer. "Planet Energy is one of the top teams outside the U.S. in this hemisphere, and we are glad to reach an agreement to include them."

The 2009 Tour of Missouri begins September 7 in St. Louis and finishes a week later in Kansas City. The seven-stage race was won last year by Garmin-Slipstream's Christian Vande Velde.

Hmmmmm.......

Cancellara's great downhill on stage 7 TDF 2009

Frickin Jackass'

Tour riders hit by pellet gun

Published: Jul. 17, 2009

Police have launched an investigation after two riders suffered light injuries when hit by shots fired from an airgun on the 13th stage of the Tour de France on Friday.

New Zealander Julian Dean of Garmin-Slipstream and Spaniard Oscar Freire of Rabobank were hit with pellets near the 165km mark of the 200km stage in the hilly Vosges region.

Freire, a three-time world road race champion, had to have a pellet removed from his leg by his team doctor after finishing the stage.

"He's got a bit of bruising but he will be able to start on Saturday," said his team boss.

Dean, the main lead-out man for American sprinter Tyler Farrar, was hit on a finger of his left hand, according to his Garmin team.

Police working on the stage were immediately alerted by the teams.

"Julian was shot by an air rifle or BB gun (pellet gun) at the top of a climb during the stage. He has a minor injury on his finger but he was able to finish," Garmin-Slipstream spokeswoman Marya Pongrace confirmed.

"(Tour organisers) ASO have asked police to open an investigation."

A spokesman for Rabobank said: "Oscar heard three shots and then felt a sting. A small shot was removed."

Tour organisers have confirmed an investigation had been opened and said both riders had given statements to the police.

Honey, me n the guys are going on a "bike" trip......

German brothel offers discounts to cyclists

A Berlin brothel has come up with a novel way to offset the impact of the global economic crisis and target a new group of customers at the same time - offering a discount to patrons who arrive on bicycles.

Published: 12:59AM BST 14 Jul 2009

"The recession has hit our industry hard," said Thomas Goetz, owner of the Maison d'envie brothel.

"Obviously we hope that the discount will attract more people," he added. "It's good for business, it's good for the environment - and it's good for the girls."

Customers who arrive on bicycle or who can prove they took public transportation get a 5-euro ($7) discount from the usual 70-euro ($100) fee for 45 minute sessions, Mr Goetz said. He said the environmentally friendly offer was working a charm.

"We have around 3-5 new customers coming in daily to take advantage of the discount," he said, adding the green rebate has helped alleviate traffic and parking congestion in the neighbourhood.

Germany is one of the few countries in the world where prostitution is legal. It has about 400,000 prostitutes who, since 2002, have been allowed to enter formal labour contracts.

Oh my God!!!

Missy Giove lived her life astounding those around her.

The iconic mountain biker, who resided in Durango for more than a decade, won 14 national titles and was the world champion downhill racer in 1994. She screamed down slopes on the edge of control, landing in either an ambulance or on the podium.

Her persona — she dangled a dried piranha around her neck and tucked her dead dog's ashes in her bra when she raced — and talent made her mountain biking's highest-paid athlete, earning her well over $2 million.

Then last month, six years after she formally retired from racing, federal agents busted the 37-year-old and an accomplice with 400 pounds of marijuana and $1 million in cash.

"Everyone in the circle of

Missy Giove was mountain biking's "first rock star." She faces drug-trafficking charges. (The Denver Post)

mountain biking is shocked by the news — not because she was arrested, because that was not surprising. She had numerous car wrecks and slight problems with authority," said Giove's longtime friend and former bike racer Craig Glaspell. "The fact she might be involved in some pretty heavy drug trafficking is the crazy thing. I mean, real crazy."

According to authorities, on June 16, a team of federal drug cops watched Giove meet a confidential informant at a hotel in Albany, N.Y., and drive away in a rented truck pulling her own trailer. Cops had already found 350 pounds of marijuana in the trailer. Giove drove the rig to the Wilton, N.Y., home of Eric Canori, 30, where police found another 50 pounds of the weed and $1 million packed into a duffel bag in a hallway closet.

Mountain biking "rock star"

Giove bailed out of jail on June 22 on a $250,000 bond, facing a possible $2 million fine and up to 40 years in prison if convicted. She could not be reached for comment.

Days after her arrest, her public defender, Tim Austin, alleged the drugs were planted in Giove's possession, possibly by police. Her next hearing is scheduled Tuesday.

While it was shocking to hear of Giove's arrest, her friends say it is not that surprising that "Missy the Missile" would be found at the top level of anything she was doing.

"When she was riding, she was willing to throw it all out there. She was either going to win or crash hard," said Scott Montgomery, who, as vice president of marketing for Cannondale in the mid-1990s, enlisted Giove to ride for his team. "She was mountain biking's first rock star. She transcended the sport. She was larger than life."

She was sponsored by Reebok. She appeared on MTV, Conan O'Brien's show and David Letterman's "Late Show." She drew thousands of fans to formerly obscure mountain-biking events.

She was unquestionably gifted on her bike and carefully fostered her Dennis Rodman-esque image.

"That got her a huge amount of publicity, attention and money," said Alison Dunlap, a professional mountain biker who raced cross country during Giove's downhill blitzkrieg. "She knew what she was doing."

But she didn't roll like a rock star. Yes, she trained part time in the south of France. But in Durango, she drove a modest car and lived in a yurt behind a friend's house. It was her father, who died three years ago, who secured big dollars for his daughter.

Montgomery remembers a "shrewd and tough" Ben Giove, working with executives at Cannondale and Volvo on her sponsorship contract. She earned $250,000 a year after her world title in '94. In 1997, Cannondale-Volvo upped Giove's year-long contract to $450,000.

"The next year, (Ben) came back even more aggressively, and we had to cut her," Montgomery said.

Toward the late '90s, mountain biking's luster began to wane — and with it racers' income.

Invested in dad's restaurant

"She was still making some good money, and I think she took a lot of her money and invested it in her father's restaurant," said Brent Foes, who still has posters of Giove hanging in his Pasadena, Calif., bike-making headquarters. "If she had invested properly, she probably wouldn't be in the situation she is now."

By 2002, Giove's litany of injuries was catching up to her. By her own tally — reported in various bike magazines during her heyday — Giove suffered 33 fractures, including cracked ribs; broken wrists, collarbones, legs, vertebrae, heels, knee caps; and a cracked sternum. She endured concussions regularly. During the 2001 World Cup races in Vail, she went airborne, twisted and landed on her head. The blow knocked her unconscious and caused her brain to bleed.

It was "the very worst I have ever seen her crash," said Glaspell, who raced with Giove on the professional circuit for almost a decade. "I don't think she was the same since then."

Giove retired from racing in 2003 and left Durango. But she didn't stop racing. While she lived in the East, most recently in Chesapeake, Va., she would show up at local races, handily beating all comers. She briefly worked peddling indoor bike-training equipment at cycling shows.

"She really didn't know what she wanted to do after racing. She once said she wanted to be a rapper and this and that," said Foes, who would occasionally help her out with a bike to keep her racing.

Staunch drug foe

The most shocking aspect of Giove's arrest, say people who knew her, was her longtime anti-drug stance. Back in the early 1990s, drugs were part of the counter-cultural scene that went with mountain biking.

"Missy was always the one who was giving people crap about it, saying, 'Don't drink, don't smoke, stay clean and stay focused,' " said Montgomery, who now manages Scott USA's bike division.

As a fledgling racer in her early 20s, Giove coached other young racers on how to eat healthy and stay strong, Glaspell said. She pushed natural diets and meditation and a strict training regimen.

"I never ever, ever saw Missy smoke pot, never saw her do any drugs. She was always into super heavy hippy homeopathic (stuff)," Glaspell said.

That leads many to wonder whether, if the charges are true, the adventurous thrill of drug-running appealed to Giove.

"You are one step away from going to federal prison. The challenge of getting away with it, making money at it, I am sure that is incredibly invigorating and thrilling," said fellow bike-racer Dunlap. "Maybe for Missy, when she was used to that kind of feeling when she was racing, not having it anymore was a like a withdrawal from a drug."