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At age 40, Longo is still going strong. Mike Powell/Allsport

Use the menu below to read our biographies of the century's greatest sportswomen and then tell us who you think should be No. 1. Also, be sure to check out our expanded home page and our new issue which is on newsstands now.

97. Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli, Cycling

1958-
12-time world champion

The most decorated woman in road-racing history, Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli has ruled the circuit since the 1980s and is still winning today at the age of 40. The Grenoble, France native began competing in 1979 , and has since broken 36 world records, and won 37 French national titles as well as a dozen world championships. At the 1992 Barcelona Games, Longo-Ciprelli had a wild ride. Just three kilometers from the finish, she pulled away from the pack to take a lead of 100 meters and cross the line one second ahead of the defending Olympic champion. The French team raised its arms in triumph. But there was one problem: the real winner, Kathy Watt of Australia, had crossed the finish line 20 seconds earlier. With one ten-mile circuit to go, Watt had slipped away from the main pack and most of the other riders didn't see her go. Four years later at the Atlanta Games, Longo-Ciprelli avenged her fluke loss and took home the gold.

Longo-Ciprelli's skill and achievement has not escaped attention and neither has her personality. She has been known to alienate herself from other cyclists on the circuit -- including her French teammates -- by training solo and seldom talking to anyone but her coach, Patrice Ciprelli, whom she married in 1985. Although she hasn't made many friends along the way, Longo-Ciprelli has certainly earned the respect of her fellow competitors. She thrives in the thin air where many of her races take place, easily outclimbing her younger opponents. In June 1999, Longo-Ciprelli won the HP-LaserJet Women's Challenge, the richest event in women's cycling ($125,000). As has been her style for the past two decades, she dominated the 12-day event from start to finish.

They said it: "Everyone is trying to put me out to pasture. Maybe I just haven't found the right field yet," -- Longo-Ciprelli

--Joan Truscio

Athletes were selected by Sports Illustrated For Women, Sports Illustrated and CNN/SI editors, writers and correspondents who considered the athletes' on-field performance and achievements, plus their contributions to women's sports. Because athletic achievement was a key criterion, women whose contributions were made solely in administration and coaching are not included.