Georgia Gould (born January 5, 1980) is an American professional mountain bike and cyclocross competitor, and Olympian (2008, 2012). She has earned five career national championships – four in cross-country mountain bike in 2006, 2010, 2011 and 2012, and one in short track mountain bike in 2009. In 2012, Gould won the bronze medal at the London Olympic Games in cross country mountain bike.[1] From 2006-2016 Gould was employed by the LUNA Pro Team.[2][3] In 2012, Gould was named North American MTB Woman of the Year by VeloNews magazine.[4] She currently resides in East Burke, Vermont with her husband, Dusty LaBarr.[5]
Accomplishments
Mountain Bike
From 2006-2016 Georgia Gould finished on the podium of the USA Mountain Bike National Championships in either cross-country, short track, or both. She earned national titles in cross-country in 2006, 2010, 2011 and 2012, and short track in 2009.[6] In 2007, Gould became only the second woman in history to sweep all six of the USA National Mountain Bike Series races (formerly NORBA).[7] The last to do so was American Juli Furtado in 1993.[8] Gould reprised her NMBS series win in cross-country in 2008, and again by winning the 2010 US Pro Cross-Country Tour.[9]
Internationally Gould has been similarly successful: In 2012, she won the bronze medal for cross-country mountain bike at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.[10] In 2008, she finished 5th overall in the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, and followed it with a 4th place overall in 2010.[11][12] In 2007, she won the gold medal at the 2007 Pan American Mountain Bike Championships in Neuquén, Argentina, propelling the US Women's mountain biking program to the top of international rankings.[13] In 2009, Gould finished 2nd in the American Continental Mountain Bike Championships in Santiago, Chile.[14]
In December 2007 Gould became known for the "Gould Formula" – a proposal to award equal prize money to the top five men and women finishers in international cyclocross events. A petition delivered to the UCI (cycling's governing body) stated: "We, the undersigned, find it regrettable that there is a considerable disparity between the UCI minimum prize money for men and women. We understand that because competition in the men's field is deeper, more places receive prize money. We do not understand why the women who are receiving prize money receive less than their male counterparts. Therefore we propose that the UCI show leadership and mandate equal prize money for the top five men and women. Article 3 of the UCI Constitution states: «The UCI will carry out its activities in compliance with the principles of: a) equality between all the members and all the athletes, license-holders and officials, without racial, political, religious or other discrimination.»[16] We ask the UCI to honor its commitment to equality."[17]
Gould was appointed as a member of the inaugural UCI Athletes' Commission in 2011.[18]
In 2013, Gould was appointed to the UCI Mountain Bike Commission where she helped secure equal prize money for women in all UCI-sanctioned Mountain Bike races.
