Juli Furtado’s path to the top of mountain biking began in alpine skiing. She later turned to cycling, becoming US national road race champion in 1989. The following year in Durango, she won the women’s cross-country race at the first UCI Mountain Bike World Championships. Fellow Americans Sara Ballantyne and Ruthie Matthes completed the podium.
In 1992, Furtado claimed another world title, this time in downhill. The two victories show her range: cross-country combines endurance with riding over changing terrain, while downhill rewards a fast, precise passage through the course. She entered the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in 1993.
Her influence continued beyond racing. Santa Cruz introduced the Juliana model, named after her, in 1999. In 2012 she proposed a full range of bikes for women, which became a separate sister brand in 2013. Juliana now announces the end of production under its own name, with support moving to Santa Cruz. That history reveals another part of Furtado’s work: helping women become more visible in mountain biking.