Giove's friends say drug bust shocking

DURANGO, Colo., July 15 (UPI) -- Friends of iconic former U.S. mountain biking champion Missy Giove say her arrest on marijuana charges was shocking because of her anti-drug stance.

"Everyone in the circle of 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," Giove's longtime friend and former bike racer Craig Glaspell told Wednesday's Denver Post. "The fact she might be involved in some pretty heavy drug trafficking is the crazy thing. I mean, real crazy."

Giove, who lived in Durango, Colo., for 10 years, faces a possible $2 million fine and as long as 40 years in prison after allegedly being caught in New York last month with 400 pounds of marijuana and $1 million in cash.

"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 Scott Montgomery, a former vice president of marketing for Cannondale bicycles who enlisted Giove to ride for his team in the 1990s. He told the Post Giove, 37, was never seen using drugs.

She did not respond to the Post's requests for comment.