Throwback Thursday: 7 Female MTB Pioneers Who Made History

Apr 13, 2023
by Christie Fitzpatrick  
Spring is here, the bikes are out, and I find myself feeling stoked about the sheer number of women I see on the trails today.

We still have a long way to go in terms of funding, structure and exposure, but recent years have seen the number of female riders increase exponentially. While women are making history in competition, there are so many impactful women working in the fabric of the industry: picking up shovels, designing equipment, and fostering community. But cycling wasn’t always this diverse.

There are certain points in history where sports experience a quantum leap, and for women’s mountain biking that was the early 90’s. Even back in the 70’s and 80’s, there were a handful of women that dared to go against the grain and pioneered the sport we know and love today. Others have since followed in their footsteps and made further advances for women’s cycling. I delved into the history books to take a look back at some of the pioneering women in the sport and holy moly, I am inspired. While this is by no means an exhaustive list, here are some of the women who laid the groundwork for women's mountain biking as we know it today. 



Juli Furtado

How many people can say they have a bike brand named after them? Juli Furtado (arguably single-handedly) brought women's mountain bike racing to an international standard. Not to be pigeonholed by just one sport, Juli was an avid skier before becoming the US national road champion in 1989. A year later, she became the cross-country world champion at the first ever mountain bike world championships in Durango, Colorado. True to form, Juli went on to win gold at Mont-Sainte-Anne 1992 in yet another discipline - downhill. Perhaps the apex of her racing career was when she competed as an Olympic athlete at the 1996 games - the inaugural Olympic event for mountain biking. She held a Guinness World Record for most career 1st-place finishes in MTB ever (male or female). 

There is no question that Juli’s bike handling skills were exceptional. At a time when most cross-country competitors (of both sexes) merely wobbled down what would be green trails, Juli charged through with refreshing confidence and aggression. She maintained her stellar fitness by training with the pro men on Colorado's iconic mountain passes, and was known to be able to ride away from her competitions. Juli brought women's racing in North America to a world class level, right at the moment the sport became an international spectacle.

After retiring from competition and being diagnosed with lupus, Juli Furtado applied her creative talent to a new pursuit. She began working with Santa Cruz Bikes, having a critical role in the development and launch of the brand we know today as Juliana. After being inducted in both the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame and the US Bicycling Hall of Fame, she became a mother in 2008. The way she has opened up about her depression and struggles throughout childhood is a beacon of light for others in the world dealing with similar circumstances. Her impact on the industry has been wide reaching, diverse, and undeniable.

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Jacquie Phelan

Jacquie Phelan's reputation as a San Franciscan legend precedes her, with lungs and legs that could not be bested by any other woman (or 90% of men) in the ‘80s and probably now. Her physical ability propelled her to the top of the road racing scene, and her creative attire combined with a college degree set her apart from her racing compatriots. Her bike “Otto'' was the first aluminum lightweight mountain bike and raced unbeaten for 6 years, breaking away from the idea that durable frames had to be made of steel.

Jacquie's most important contribution to cycling, however, was her outspoken encouragement to female riders in the sport. She was a woman before her time, laying down the groundwork for the success of women riders after her. She loudly exposed the sexism and misogyny she witnessed in mountain bike culture while encouraging women to ignore said gender disparities. She was educated, sharp as a whip and most importantly unfiltered. Many believe Jacquie is to thank for mountain bike racing becoming the first cycling competition in which women were included at all levels. 

Phelan is perhaps best known for having developed WOMBATS (Women's Mountain Bike & Tea Society), whose mission is to sustain a women's off-road cycling network to help connect riding partners. In the 1990’s, the club had four to five hundred members nationwide. The first mountain bike camps in history came from Jacquie, the first of which was an off-road skills camp known as "Fat Tire Finishing School” in 1984. She has been writing about cycling for 20 years. As the Marin Museum of Bicycling puts it, "The only thing that eludes her is a job.” 

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Leigh Donovan

Leigh began BMX racing as a child in the hills of Southern California, winning multiple national championships and a world title. When she eventually stepped away from the sport, she was promptly handed a mountain bike by the team at Haro bikes who had thought she could probably do some damage in the (then) new sport of mountain bike racing. In her first mountain bike race in 1992, she beat out the sport’s most popular rider at the time - Missy Giove - in the dual slalom. Leigh’s MTB career took off from there and she was signed immediately to Team IronHorse. In 1995 Leigh won the triple crown, winning the national slalom championship, national downhill championship and the world championship–an accomplishment that has never been repeated to this day. Leigh was also the only female to ever win the Richard Long sportsmanship award given by NORBA.

In 2010, at 38 years of age, a mother of a 5-year-old, designer boutique business owner, and 9 years after retiring from professional racing, Leigh heard that the MTB World Championships would be held in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada - her favorite race course. She decided to try to make the U.S. National Downhill team at 39, and of the 5 events she raced in 2010, she made the podium in each. In 2014, Leigh launched a coaching and clinic business called iChooseBikes that focused on teaching MTB skills to riders of all ages, levels, and genders. She now works for SRAM as their Southern California Field Guide, representing the brand through local bicycle dealers, focused on the aftermarket segment of the bike industry as well as empowering cyclists through advocacy and event support; including youth racing.

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Wende Cragg

Back in the mid '70s, a motley crew of cyclists took their fully rigid town bikes off-road and started bombing downhill in a counterculture event that became known locally as the ‘Repack Races'. Right there with them, riding in the dusty ruts of a ruthless fireroad on Mt Tam, was Wendy Cragg, whose photographs of this emerging counterculture got her inducted into the MTB Hall of Fame in 1989. After participating in the first few races (she still holds the record for the fastest woman), she took on a new role as the lone woman photographer participating in seminal early riding adventures.

Cragg’s lens was originally focused on the wildflowers and mushrooms that lined the roads her cohorts threw themselves down, but she eventually turned her lens to the blossoming subculture she found herself a part of. Her interest in all things quiet and candid led to her capturing some of the most iconic images from the early years of the sport. Her photos display not just the dust trails and foot-drags of downhill action, they are 35mm vignettes that capture the age of innocence in the early age of mountain biking. Cragg now works as a textile artist while also curating the Rolling Dinosaur Archive, all in between bike rides on her 1986 custom Breezer she still rides to this day. Some would say that without her contribution, the sport of mountain biking would have languished in the hills of Marin and pockets of Colorado.

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Missy Giove

Missy "The Missile" Giove is known for her high-intensity, daredevil riding style that transcended her attitude to life: go big or go home. In the 90s, Missy rode with an intensity on the course that was unparalleled by any other rider, male or female. This, combined with eccentric style (she rode with the dried body of her piranha around her neck and the ashes of her dog tucked into her bra), was a recipe for Missy to become a rockstar in the golden ages of mountain biking. She emerged as one of the highest paid racers in both XC and DH, landing a million dollar contract with one of her main sponsors. She has gained widespread acclaim for bringing a tremendous amount of attention to the sport of mountain biking and pioneering the concept of the sport as a feasible career. Throughout her career she won 14 NORBA DH titles, 11 World Cups and 2 World Cup overalls.

After a horrific crash and resultant brain hemorrhage that altered the course of her life, Missy was forced to look at other ways to make money. No stranger to pressure-cooker stress levels, Missy took on the high-risk role of transporting thousands of pounds of marijuana across the country from California to New York. In 2009, a massive DEA operation brought Giove head to head with law enforcement and she faced up to 40 years in jail. Due to her above-standard cooperation during the investigation and process, Missy was sentenced to six months under house arrest, five years of probation, and 500 hours of community service. In 2016, Giove was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame, and has since returned to racing.

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Carys Evans

Known as “the gnarliest woman on the North Shore,” Carys Evans was one of 5 original 'Rocky Mountain Fro Riders', a North Shore freeride crew in the 90’s pushing boundaries in the evolution of the sport. She rode with “Careless Carys” emblazoned across the back of her jersey, and particularly excelled at steep, techy descents that most would consider pretty nasty. In the classic movie 'The Moment', Todd “Digger” Fiander spoke of Carys with incredulity, saying “This girl could kick ass, man”. If you want people talking about you, this is what you'd hope they say.

But Carys burned out, realizing that being a sponsored rider - and the implied expectations - was not the path for her. She is best known for starring in the freeride hit movie "Kranked - Live to Freeride", and is considered to be one of, if not the very first, female professional freeriders. After a short but sweet professional career, she opted to leave the bike industry behind. She enrolled in a program supporting women in trades and graduated four years later with a Red Seal certification as an electrician. Well known for being an outspoken feminist, Carys returned to live in her hometown in Nanaimo and lives a life as a ceramics artist, electrician and trail advocate.


Anne-Caroline Chausson

Known in the biking world and beyond as ACC, Anne-Caroline Chausson was born in France and began racing at just 6 years old. ACC is one of the most decorated riders of all time and one of the best all-around cycling athletes to have ever hit the track. After a dominant BMX racing career, she proceeded to take the DH world by storm as a Junior DH World Champion, promptly followed by an 8 year winning streak as Elite World Champion. From 1998-2000 she won the overall World Cup DH and World Championship titles.

In 2000, ACC branched out further within the mountain bike realm, and began winning dual-slalom championships as well as four-cross. She then continued her (almost unbelievably) successful competitive career by winning gold at the inaugural BMX race at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. In 2012, she gave enduro racing a go, and was one of the most successful enduro racers at the time. Her achievements in her wildly impressive career on the bike laid out a model for success that has not been bettered by any man or woman in the sport. Truly the GOAT, ACC continues to inspire others with her courageous fight against cancer, retaining a positive outlook in life and enjoying the freedom of riding her bike.

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Author Info:
christiefitz avatar

Member since May 21, 2017
109 articles

128 Comments
  • 60 3
 T-Mo must be up there!
  • 2 0
 A great article, with a couple of names that had passed me by…agree T-mo should have been included.
  • 2 0
 I thought of T-Mo as well since she is a legend. But what year is the cut off of for being a "pioneer"? I think of anyone in 80's and 90's
  • 4 0
 @vesania: yeah, T-Mo retired in 2016. That's decades after most people in this list. Legend for sure, though
  • 1 0
 @blackpudding: acc raced Enduro until recently. youtu.be/rI5ovTpBR_0
  • 5 1
 yes correct, and Rachel Atherton also
  • 10 5
 Missy “ The Mule”….
  • 4 3
 @KK11: f off Hoser
  • 1 0
 @nordicMT: easssssy now.
  • 44 2
 Minor side note; Leigh Donovan is also the only person to be in the MTB Hall of fame, BMX Hall of Fame and USA Bicycling hall of fame. She still can shred on a MTB as well!
  • 13 1
 Her world champs decal from Troy Lee Designs: www.pinkbike.com/photo/24574923
  • 14 6
 @stiksandstones: Good thing you're not jaded at all..... lol
  • 8 0
 @whattheheel: Being proud of your partner is 'Jaded'?
  • 40 1
 Great post! Rachel Atherton will be on this list one day too. Can't wait to see how she does this season post-injury and pregnancy. It's awesome to see a veteran like her go up against the better-than-ever young guns on their way up.
  • 42 2
 Marla Streb is another who could be in the mix here.
  • 6 0
 Agreed. Marla should certainly be on this list.
  • 7 0
 Hell yeah. Isn't that her on the far left on the podium shot? Another absolutely divine human being. All hail the SSWC. Happy to have hung out with her a few times at early, tiny, local DH races in the Bay Area like the Bonsai DH series at Grant Park / Mt Hamilton. IYKYK.
  • 4 0
 Marla on V10✊
  • 21 0
 A list this short will always be incomplete, but every woman mentioned absolutely deserves their spot. Legends, all of them. For anyone interested in the history of our sport, you need to look up Wende Cragg's photos. If they don't make you want to push up a hill and bomb down with your friends, you might not really be a mountain biker.
  • 12 0
 Total bunch of OG's!! When I got into the sport in the early 90's Missy, Leigh and Juli were wrecking shop. Juli was such a dominating force. Missy rode DH unlike anyone at that point....man or woman. Just reckless abandon and always on the edge of absolutely grenading. Not one single ounce of fear lived in that badass woman. Anne Caro still laying claim to the most successful racer of all time. Jacquie used to come into a bike shop I worked at in Marin. She was always a hoot to chat with. Props to these ladies for laying trail for future generations to follow. One of the coolest things Ive seen in the industry the past decade was the huge increase in the number of women our riding, especially in the whistler lift lines!!
  • 16 0
 Missy Giove is one of the OG's of our sport
  • 6 0
 I’ve been super fortunate to hang and ride with her at snowshoe. She lives up there now and dates a medic. She brings a lot to the mountain. She is a character to say the least but is very kind and genuine human. Had no idea who she was the first few times I chatted with her.
  • 11 0
 I think her story has the potential for a hit movie if done right. Could just be called Missy. Lots of adrenaline pumping scenes, the success of a female athlete in a male dominated sport, drug running, evading the cops on a dirt bike , it'll have a good mix to be successful
  • 5 0
 @RichieNotRude: I'd watch the hell out of that
  • 2 0
 @RichieNotRude: And if the movie has her most famous quote it would definitely lose it's PG rating.
  • 13 1
 "At a time when most cross-country competitors (of both sexes) merely wobbled down what would be green trails"

I'm sorry but thats just plain wrong. not sure where you were racing in 1987 & all through the 90s, but racing fully rigid bikes my arms were frequently on fire even on the days I won. also xc races back then were a lot longer. Tomacs winning time in 91 was 2hr 38mins.
  • 8 1
 The author clearly lacks an understanding of the time period, as she was not even born when most of these events transpired. I agree with you, in that many trails were actually gnarlier back then, as it was before the whole machine built, IMBA standards compliant type of MTB trails that have become common in the last 10-15yrs. There was no grooming, and very little maintenance, and a sort of glorification of mud pits and water crossings, so it was nasty wet rocks and roots galore with very little of the "flow" that you commonly find on green trails today.
  • 11 1
 Juli won in Bromont, not Ste Anne. Only cyclist to have won both XC and DH world championship titles. Tomac was close Won XC but finished 2nd in DH in 1991. Also, you forgot Missy won her WC stripes in Vail in '94. Who the f*ck is doing your research for this?
  • 7 7
 A bunch of effing idiots. They didn't mention Missy coming back in 2015 to qualify and race the finals in jeans at the UCI WC stop in Snowshoe, coming in 16th despite a huge and heavy crash during her run. Welp, I guess this is what we can expect now from Pinkbike.
  • 10 5
 Yeah, it seems like they got a 22yr old woman's studies major to spend about 10 minutes on google learning everything required to write the article. I would vote for Throwback Thursday articles being written by people who actually lived through/experienced the scene/events/time described. Kind of like the "Now that was a bike" articles, or some of RC's history lessons. Pinkbike could approach any of the women on this list to see if they'd like to do a series to share their first hand memories and tales from the early days of mountain biking, which would be really cool, or failing that, people who were avid fans or supporting characters back in the day who really have a good grasp of the material.
  • 13 0
 Missy segment in chainsmoke!
  • 4 0
 Another body murdered!
  • 2 0
 nearly wore out my vhs copy watching that over and over again as a kid. I even wanted a freeze dried piranha necklace back in the day.
  • 13 1
 Good list! Needs a part 2.--S.Ballantyne, A.Sydor, P.Pezzo, R.Matthes, S.DeMattei--all badasses that should be recognized!
  • 9 0
 Anne-Caroline Chausson was awesome. Remember being in Chatel in the 90’s and riding a track that apparently she had built or used for training anyway. It was closed due to too many people hurting themselves on it but we had a sneaky run. It was mental, wouldn’t be out of place as a WC DH track by today’s standards, but the bikes were far from what they are today. We didn’t ride the 2 big drops and the steep bits we did ride were probably the gnarliest things I had ridden at that time. To think she was probably doing flat out runs of that track on the bikes of the day is mind blowing.
  • 12 1
 I would consider the Italians Giovanna Bonazzi and Paola Pezzo. This last one is considered the first sex symbol of mtb
  • 10 0
 Tara Llanes should be in there also
  • 3 0
 Had to scroll too far to find this comment!
  • 25 17
 Missys race career is extensive enough to not have needed to finish the blurb with details of her run-in with the Feds..
  • 45 9
 Missy's drug smuggling career is extensive enough to not need to mention any racing!
  • 23 1
 Seems badass to me. Not a slight against here character with it being legal all over the place now.
  • 35 1
 She was ahead of her time in more than one way.
  • 9 4
 @mikeyfresh1990: If it's not a 'Drug' now, who cares? FTL.
  • 6 2
 Missy did nothing wrong!
  • 5 2
 @suspended-flesh: the people who she was working for, who gave her a livelihood, probably care. You know, because of her above standard cooperation that probably led to the seizure of all of their assets and harsh prison sentences
  • 3 0
 @Mntneer: Read her interviews about the actual events.
  • 2 2
 in here defense, she really needed the money...
  • 2 4
 @JohanG: except rat on others. That isn’t cool.
  • 5 0
 I love Missy...she is a great person to hang with. She even wore clothing from my last company when we paid for her race fee at Windham when she did that WC. Press on that came and went pretty fast. Honored tho fo sho!
  • 3 0
 Wow this was an awesome read that I hope will being recognition to the history of women in MTB. I never knew about so many of the featured women and the various eccentricities of their lives. This was so much more refreshing and engaging to read than countless product reviews and promotions. A++
  • 6 0
 Missy and Juli were my idols as a teenager getting into the sport. Watched both of them race at Mount Snow and was in awe.
  • 3 0
 Thanks so much for posting this @christiefitzpatrick…. So many great memories of HEROs. I helped someone move into a small house in Los Osos Ca. About 15 years back …. There were some Foes Frames mounted up on the walls …. I asked her if she rode …. Oh, no, those are Marla’s … this is her house.. mind blown.
Hope to see more posts like these and accompanying videos if you can find em.
  • 7 3
 This article should be titled 6 North American pioneers + we'll just throw in Anne Caro to make it look like we considered being diverse & inclusive of all international athletes.
  • 2 2
 Okay… Who are they “missing” that was also an early pioneer from other countries?
  • 4 0
 @Saidrick: Right of the top of my head, Giovanna Bonazzi is an easy one. As many others on here have mentioned, Paola Pezzo is an easy inclusion too, but they might not want to include her due to her being so popular on bike shop pinup posters.
  • 2 0
 @thekaiser:

They were good racers for sure, but they don’t really have the impact on the sport that ACC had by winning so many races, or Furtado had with dual disciplines, or being the first photographer of the sport etc…

Your mileage may vary.

I remember Pezzo, but I had to look up Bonazzi, thanks for teaching me something today.

P.S. Furtado’s famous quote is one of my favorites: “The slower you go, the more likely you are to crash.”
  • 1 0
 @Saidrick: I agree with you. There's definitely some commenters who are confusing 'pioneers' with 'early successful racers'.
  • 1 0
 @Saidrick:
@pinkbike they are definitely missing Gunn-Rita.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunn-Rita_Dahle_Flesj%C3%A5

More Ws than you can count, and she was a big part of (and still is) fighting for equal pay for Women mountain bikers. Thats pioneering right there. But none the less, the girls on the list deserves to be there without a doubt. But there were other countries involved and pioneering.
  • 3 0
 I met Jacquie Phelan at the SFMOMA Soapbox Derby (I was the giant coffee mug). She’s the real deal. Had her own postcards, and gave me a few! One of those lovely interactions with a real character.
  • 1 0
 Ha! I too met Jacquie - but at a Scottish Cross country race - she was vibrant, full of energy and still driving for women to ride together I think she gave me a wombats sew on patch.
  • 2 0
 Here's the video that goes with that podium shot from MSA '96. Legendary riders in that photo:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aNngAj6VL8

1. Leigh
2. ACC
3. Nolvenn LeCaer
4. Marla
5. Missy
  • 6 1
 Cant see GUNN-RITA DAHLE FLESJÅ on this list...
  • 3 0
 Her 30 World Cup wins were all on a hardtail. If that's not worthy of inclusion, what is?
  • 1 0
 She should absolutely be on this list. She also got involved early on with equal pay for women riders.
  • 1 0
 ChristieFitz could have done a proper job…maybe the editor only wanted a brief rundown on some of the sport’s female legends. the list is too short. could have been a series instead. and a movie about the Missle would be insane! and probly turn into a cult classsic. still was fun to read, recall and learn stuff
  • 4 0
 Allison Sidor belongs on this list.
  • 3 0
 I've got more than a few heroes on this list.
  • 3 0
 All of these ladies also belong in the 26 inch wheel Hall of Fame!
  • 4 0
 YES, more of this ❤️
  • 2 0
 Where’s all the female pink bike staffers gone? Alicia I know of course but Sarah? Christina?
  • 3 0
 I know there were a lot of jobs cut at other Outside publications recently...hoping that they haven't done the same here. :-(
Christina's articles and vids were great.
  • 3 0
 @thekaiser: Yeh, big Christina fan
  • 3 0
 Christina's still here killing it, Sarah will be back in the fall, and we've hired two new ladies in the past six months: Christie Fitzpatrick on content, and Hannah Knapp on social! Plus, we're going to have Alicia back soon too. Smile
  • 7 8
 The single biggest thing holding back "Women in sport" is.... Other women. Other women don't support/watch womans sports and get jealous of men watching sport (just for sports sake we're not pervs). I couldn't be bothered anymore and have deleted all female riders from my IG etc because of jealousy.
  • 2 0
 There is a funny Bill Burr comedy routine about that phenomenon of women not watching women's sports, which you might want to check out. BTW, that sounds like a wild IG family dynamic you are dealing with, but "happy wife, happy life" as they say.

But I think what we're both trying to say is, it's the patriarchy's fault.
  • 5 1
 where tf is paolo pezzo?
  • 6 0
 In our teenage hearts forever.
  • 1 0
 Missy was such a badass. But when I try to show my daughter female rippers that could crush most ALL riders, it pains me to have to filter her a bit.
  • 1 0
 I met Missy at snowshoe a few years ago. She is awesome and her stories are fucking nuts!
  • 1 0
 Rad article. This could be a book, there are so many stories you coukd flesh out
  • 1 0
 I love that era of mountain biking. I would love to see someone like Missy in today's racing field.
  • 2 3
 Vero Sandler ……. To name one
  • 2 0
 all of downhill should do a retro year, where they have mid school paint paint job on their bikes and helmets, and baggy jerseys.
  • 1 0
 Carys Evans!!! yup she was baddass and 18 year old me might have had a crush!
  • 1 0
 Carys Evans!! Still is hardcore! she's like a jedi hidden deep in the forests of BC
  • 1 0
 This picture of Jacquie Phelan dressed like a hippie wheeling on a... gravel bike (!) is pure gold.
  • 1 0
 how bout put the spacing of photos closer to the correct person's name. Jamolies
  • 3 2
 The landscape is a lot different then I was in the 90’s
  • 1 0
 Me too....so many beers since then
  • 2 0
 Great list.
  • 1 1
 Should have been a list of 10 and included Rachel Atherton and T-Mo, and one other I can't remember.
  • 1 1
 Atherton and Gunn Rita should both be on this list. But... cool either way!
  • 1 0
 cool history lesson
  • 1 3
 ALL WOMEN ARE QUEENS...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdyXKJ8NcNI
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