Juliana "Juli" Furtado (born April 4, 1967, in New York City) is a retired American professional mountain biker, who began her sports career in skiing.
[2] After undergoing several knee operations, Furtado's hopes of competing in the Olympics were forced to an end, and she attended University of Colorado Boulder on a skiing scholarship, where she received her BA in marketing.
Unfortunately, though she was the overwhelming favorite to win, she suffered in the severe Atlanta sun and heat due to the as yet undetected Lupus in her system and finished with an uncharacteristically slow 7th place.
After retiring, Furtado started a company to design and produce female specific MTB components, such as smaller diameter handlebars and grips, stems, and seats.
[5] In 1998, the book Rugged Racer was written about Juliana's struggles and successes, overcoming injuries in pursuit of her dream to compete in the Olympics.