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Sports

The Champion Mountain Biker Turned Drug Smuggler

VICE Sports meets legendary mountain biker Missy Giove to learn how a downhill champ ended up hunted by the DEA for her role in a multimillion-dollar drug smuggling operation.

In the first episode of RED CARDS, we meet one of downhill biking's all-time biggest names, Missy "The Missle" 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 pedal to the medal 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.

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With mounting medical bills and few other options for income after her career drew to a close, Giove sought a new adrenaline rush: 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. After pleading guilty, she was sentenced to time already served. Nearly 10 years later, we catch up with the daredevil to learn more about her life of high stakes racing.

RED CARDS, presented by Ryot, is a six-part series exploring some of the most notorious true crime stories in sports. New episodes available each Tuesday.