Marla earned a Bachelors in Biology and Chemistry from the University of Maryland... and Masters degree in Marine Biology from the University of Maryland. Taught Human Anatomy and Physiology for two years at the University of Maryland at Baltimore ... Studied classical piano at the Peabody Institute... Prior to full-time racing career, worked as an AIDS researcher at the Scripps Research Institute in San Diego... Marla now lives part time on her sailboat (named Indifference) anchored in San Francisco Bay, and the rest in her small cottage (Estate of Indifference) in a valley in West Marin County.
Started riding a mountain bike in 1990 as a bike messenger in Baltimore... Turned pro in 1993 at the age of 28... in 2000 competed in 45 races: including downhill, dual slalom, BMX, crosscountry, cyclo-cross, motorcycle moto-cross and enduros, and won a bicycle ice-race down the Olympic bobsled course in Cortina, Italy. Earned a bronze medal at the 2000 World Championships in downhill... 1999 Singlespeed Women's World Champion... Winter X Games winner in 1998... Marla kicked off this 2001 race season with a second place in the Red Bull Race to the Center of the Earth which is a bike race down an abandoned mine shaft in Austria... Marla then went on a few weeks later to beat three former and the current world champion by winning the 2001Sea Otter Classic Downhill, followed by taking the gold at the first race of the National Series in Big Bear, CA.
Marla was featured on Dateline NBC in April 2000, and was on the cover and the main interview in OUTSIDE magazine in July 2000. She will also be the first featured athlete on Discovery Channels Building a Champion series in 2001.
Marla enjoys playing classical piano, billiards, saxophone, foreign movies, sailing and any adrenaline-inducing activities... She contributes articles to national magazines, and is working on a book... Later in life Marla plans to circumnavigate the globe with her boyfriend on her 52-foot steel ketch while recounting all her cycling adventures in print and on the internet.
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