CYCLING : Despite Unexpected Detour, Giove Wins Downhill Race

Whether barreling down a mountain at breakneck speeds or getting out of a hospital, Missy Giove of Durango, Colo., moves fast.

She did both at the Grundig World Cup mountain bike races Saturday at Mammoth Mountain. Giove, 20, won the women’s downhill on a 3.5-mile course that dropped 2,153 feet. At the end of her second run--in which she was traveling at about 56 m.p.h.--she lost control and slid about 20 yards. She got up and finished the run, but lost a chance to be the only woman to break five minutes on the course. Giove finished with a time of 5:11.02.

She was then taken to the hospital where she eventually had her forearm stitched and a leg wound dressed. While waiting for a doctor, Giove lost her patience and left.

“I told them, ‘You guys have my paper work, I’ll be back,’ ” Giove said.

She was in a hurry to return to the course to compete in the dual slalom. But the race had already started so she returned to the hospital for treatment.

Giove was not the only fast rider Saturday. Her Yeti teammate and coach, Jimmy Deaton, won the men’s downhill by almost nine seconds over teammate Myles Rickwell. Deaton was clocked at 59.5 m.p.h., the fastest official time on the Mammoth downhill.

The course was particularly fast because it was treated with pine tar and water to help prevent dust as about 3,500 mountain bikers competed over three days of racing.

Some thought it was too fast, but not Giove, who dazzled the 13,000 spectators.

Despite crashing 120 yards from the finish, Giove defeated second-place Giovanna Bonazzi of Italy and third-place Cindy Devine of Canada by about 10 seconds.

“I was just ripping,” said Giove, explaining why she lost control.

Her front wheel turned sideways and she began to slide. She tried to lift the wheel to straighten the bike but fell sideways. She got up and frantically pedaled across the finish line.

Giove has won the last three downhills after serving a 20-day suspension for unprofessional behavior at the Iron Horse Classic at Durango. She missed two National Off-Road Bicycle Assn. races as well as one World Cup event. As a result, she is ranked sixth nationally, well behind top-ranked Penny Davidson.

Brian Lopes of Mission Viejo and Kim Sonier of Flagstaff, Ariz., won the men’s and women’s dual slalom events. Lopes beat Kiyomi Waller of Carlsbad and Sonier defeated Tara Llanes of Brea in the finals.