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ONE GEAR, NO BREAKS: Lori‑Ann Muenzer's Ride to Belief, Belonging, and a Gold Medal

A race or journey to success is made up of a series of defining moments.

At 38 years of age, Lori‑Ann was the underdog in cycling at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

In a cycling career that spanned twenty years, Lori‑Ann has seen it all. The glory of winning more than a dozen national titles, but there have been defeats and injuries too.

At any point in her cycling career, Lori‑Ann could have decided the effort to continue competitive cycling was too much.

Instead of quitting, she raised the bar and decided to qualify for the Olympic Games in Athens. And won gold!

Lori‑Ann's story of personal challenges, physical setbacks, and unbelievable drive for success earned Lori‑Ann Canada's first-ever Olympic Gold medal in cycling. And a permanent place in the history books.

Meet the authors

Lori‑Ann Muenzer

Lori‑Ann Muenzer captured the hearts of Canadians and Canada's first Olympic Cycling gold medal with her outstanding performance in the women's match sprint finals in Athens, Greece, birthplace of the Olympics.

Lori‑Ann is a 2X Olympian and has also accumulated an outstanding 13 National titles, 11 World Cup medals, 4 World Championship medals, and 3 Commonwealth Games medals throughout the course of her career.

In 2005 she was a co-founding member of the children's cycling program called L.A.M.P. — the Lori‑Ann Muenzer Program — which introduces and guides children (11–15 years old) through advanced cycling skills and techniques, ensures they understand essential safety rules, and nurtures a lifelong love for cycling.

Lori‑Ann has been recognized with the following honours and awards:

2004 Canadian Press & Broadcast News' Female Athlete of the Year
2005 Inducted into Alberta Sports Hall of Fame
2005 Women of Distinction “Honourable Lois E. HOLE Award for Lifetime Achievement” by the YWCA
2015 Inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
2017 Inducted into Canadian Cycling Hall of Fame

Lori‑Ann has been featured and interviewed on multiple networks and continues to make appearances on: CBC TV, Edmonton's A-Channel, Global Television, CFRN, CTV, CBC Radio, CHUM-FM, CORUS Radio, and others. She made a special appearance on The Vicki Gabereau Show, filmed a special cycling episode for This Is Emily Yeung, and is a regular weekly contributor on Edmonton's Sports Radio Station Sports 1440.

Lori‑Ann helps coach athletes, entrepreneurs, and organizations to achieve their goals in 6–12 months, using the science and art of goal setting and achievement. Lori‑Ann incorporates two philosophies that won her Olympic gold: if you can see it in your mind you can hold it in your hand, and you don't have to get fancy and complicated to get great results.

Karl R. Wilberg

Karl R. Wilberg is a published author and one-time holder of four Canadian cycling records. He lives with his wife in Canmore.

ONE GEAR, NO BREAKS