They wrote her off as over the hill. Lori-Ann Muenzer proved them wrong and brought home gold.
At thirty-eight years old, Olympic cyclist Lori-Ann Muenzer was given no chance at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Competing against the world's best athletes-most of whom were almost half her age-she was considered too old. Washed up!
Medal? Experts sneered she'd be lucky to finish!
There were two people who thought she had a shot at gold: Lori-Ann and Steen Madsen, her coach.
World-class competitive cycling is all about speed and finishing first. No one cares who finishes second.
In a cycling career that has spanned twenty years, Lori-Ann has seen it all. The glory of winning more than a dozen national titles. But there has been defeat and injuries too: Broken bones. Wrecked knees. Fatigue and exhaustion. The list goes on and on.
It was almost too much. In 1994 she quit, vowing to never to ride again. A year-and-a-half later, at a point when most athletes would have said, "It's over," she said, "I'm coming back," only to suffer a near-crippling injury when she plummeted down a cliff while mountain biking. Able to train for only three months before the start of the 2000 spring season she came within one tantalizing ride of being 2000 World Sprint Champion. Yet in 2002, on the cusp of Commonwealth and World Championships, a nearly fatal illness derailed her quest yet again.
Instead of quitting, she raised the bar and decided to quality for the Olympic Games in Athens. And won gold!
In spite of age, an injury-plagued career, despite the doubters and detractors, the pressure, the isolation and loneliness, the aggravation and pain, the challenges, Lori-Ann insists, it's been worth it.
One Gear, No Breaks is Lori-Ann Muenzer's exhilarating, straight-from-the heart and no-holds-barred message about motivation and discipline, about and what it means to believe in a dream. . . but mostly about believing in yourself. *************************
KARL R. WILBERG is a published author and one-time holder of four Canadian cycling records. He lives with his wife in Canmore.
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 Word 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 many honours and awards, and 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 Sports1440.
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.
Lori-Ann lives with her partner in Edmonton.
