JULIANA FURTADO

New York-born Furtado started her sporting career as a teenage ski star. A knee injury forced her to switch to cycling in 1989, and in her first year she became the US national road race champion. Introduced to mountain biking, Juli won the first XC World Champs in 1990 and added the downhill title to her tally in 1992. She remained at the forefront of the sport throughout the early 1990s, racing alongside the likes of Alison Sydor and Paola Pezzo. Lately she’s been focused on building the Juliana women’s bike brand.