Trek's Emily Batty must be one of the most popular mountain bikers on 
the planet. She's also a great rider. She grew up on a cattle farm in
Eastern Canada, where her dad and older brothers introduced her to
the sport. She used to hand water bottles to her brothers when they
were racing. At age 11, she took up racing mountain bikes too and was
soon traveling around Canada to compete. She's won at least seven national
titles in her home country, along with the U23 Pan Am Games mountain bike
title. She's won a few U23 World Cup events as well. She qualified for
and then raced in the Olympics in London in 2012. Unfortunately she
broke her collarbone in a crash while practicing on the Olympic course the week
before the race. Because of the nature of the break, she was still
able to ride, but she couldn't ride as hard as she normally does. She
races without gloves, and she always wears a pearl necklace that she borrowed
from her mother when she was 13.  
Photo: Sean McCoy/Mountain Bike Action