One Gear, No Breaks: Lori-Ann Muenzer's Ride to Belief, Belonging, and a Gold Medal.

Janet Collins is a freelance writer in Sechelt, British Columbia.

With the 2010 Winter Olympics fast approaching, there is increased interest in all things sports-related, especially stories about Canada’s fine athletes. And while this book focuses on a sport associated with the Summer Olympics, the story still illustrates the struggle all athletes endure on their quest for the podium.

In many ways, cyclist Lori-Ann Muenzer is in a league of her own. Not only because she took home a gold medal from the 2004 Olympics in Athens, but because she had so much riding against her. For one thing, at 38 years of age, she was almost twice as old as many of her competitors. Hers was also a career plagued with injury and other serious setbacks.

Readers will not only be cheering Muenzer on, but will find this champion’s story is nothing short of inspirational.

Photos from Muenzer’s cycling career help round out the text. The inclusion of a brief glossary of cycling terms is a nice touch for those less familiar with the sport.

The straight-from-the-heart, no-holds-barred story tells how motivation and discipline—coupled with a strong belief in yourself—is the winning formula for making dreams come true, even against the odds.