October 30, 2006 (Edmonton, AB) – One year after announcing her hiatus from competitive cycling, Lori-Ann Muenzer – Canada’s first Olympic gold medallist in cycling – is shifting gears and pursuing new opportunities.

“I have had a cycling career that has taken me across the globe and has allowed me to reach the absolute pinnacle of success. However, I am ready to tackle new opportunities and apply the many lessons learned in cycling to other aspects of my life,” said Muenzer.

Over the past year, Muenzer has directed her time and enthusiasm to her new entrepreneurial venture, Pure Momentum Inc. (www.puremomentum.ca), a grassroots company that promotes exceptional Canadian women for professional speaking engagements.

“Pure Momentum is a way of bringing female athletes and other personalities together to share their unique stories and experiences that inspire and motivate others,” says Muenzer. Pure Momentum currently has six speakers on its team, with an additional eight women being announced today – Shirley Benson, Lynn Fraser, Gina Grain, Steffany Hanlen, Jaime Kessel, Jennifer Martin, Danielle Peers, Cindy Shaw. “My goal is to have Pure Momentum offer the experiences of 20 speakers by June, 2007.”

Muenzer’s involvement with cycling will continue through the “Lori-Ann Muenzer Program (LAMP)” – a program that was launched in the spring of 2006 that supports and trains up and coming cyclists in three disciplines through a 15-week development program. “LAMP is my legacy to the sport of cycling. I will continue to play an active role in helping young athletes reach their dreams.” Muenzer will also continue speaking to children in schools across Canada to inspire them to pursue sport.

Muenzer teamed up with Karl Wilberg to write “One Gear, No Breaks” which hit the bookstores this past April. This riveting and exhilarating biography captured the many highs and lows of Muenzer’s career. “‘One Gear, No Breaks’ allowed me to really process the experiences I’d gained throughout my career,” said Muenzer. “These experiences formed the vision for Pure Momentum and I am thrilled to be able to pursue this new venture with the same determination and drive that earned me a gold medal.”

Pure Momentum Inc. was established by Lori-Ann Muenzer to discover, promote and build a community of female speakers, of any age or race, whose experiences can be shared with others.

Lori-Ann Muenzer
At 38 years old, Lori-Ann Muenzer was the underdog in cycling at the 2004 Olympics, but as far as she was concerned, she was just getting started. A Canadian National Cycling Team Member since 1994, Lori-Ann is a Canadian cycling record holder, two-time Olympian, and Gold medallist at the 2004 Athens’ Summer Games. She has also been on the podium at countless World Championships, World Cups and Commonwealth Games. A force the cycling world has not seen in years. A story of personal challenges, physical setbacks and the unbelievable drive for success has earned Lori-Ann Canada’s first ever Gold medal in cycling and a permanent place in the history books.

Tara Norton
Tara Norton is a professional triathlete who overcame a horrific cycling accident with such speed and vigour, even the doctors couldn’t believe their eyes. With 9 broken bones in her face and a cracked vertebra, her triathlon career should have been over right then and there. But it didn’t. Not only did she get back on the bike to train only 2 weeks after the accident, she completed two Ironman races, including the Hawaii Ironman World Championships. Tara represented Canada at the Olympic distance World Championships in Cancun, Mexico in 2002, Queenstown, New Zealand in 2003, and Madeira, Portugal in 2004. In 2003 Tara was named to the prestigious Inside Triathlon All American Team along with other top triathletes from around North America.

Sass Jordan
Juno Award-winning artist Sass Jordan is an internationally recognized singer/songwriter who has sold over one million CDs worldwide. Winner of Billboard’s Best Female Rock Vocalist award, the bilingual Montrealer has toured and/or worked with many music heavyweights, including Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Cheap Trick, Van Halen, Carlos Santana, Joe Cocker. Jordan is also an accomplished actress, who starred in the lead role of Janis Joplin in the off-Broadway hit, “Love Janis.” Currently, Jordan can be seen as a judge on “Canadian Idol” as well as working on a television special, a new CD and a book planned for release in 2006.

Carole Pope
With three Juno Awards, a Genie Award, and four Gold and two Platinum records to her credit, Carole Pope is an icon of transgressive music. Pope has written music for film and television, including This Revolution, The L Word, Queer As Folk and The Five Senses. She is the author of a best selling autobiography entitled “Anti Diva” published by RandomHouse. Her new album Transcend Le Petite Mort Records has airplay & garnered rave reviews. Pope has also appeared in Wall to Wall Joni, a 12 hour tribute to Joni Mitchell at Symphonyspace in New York, with Laurie Anderson, Garland Jeffreys, Ute Lemper and more. She is currently touring in Canada and the United States.

Carrie Doll
Carrie began her journalism career at CTV in Yorkton, Saskatchewan where she anchored the noon news and launched her own health segment. While working in Yorkton, Carrie earned a Canpro Award for best news documentary, “Fear on the Farm.” From Yorkton, it was on to Lethbridge where Carrie worked as an Anchor and Health Reporter for CISA Television. Today, Carrie Doll is one of Edmonton’s most charismatic news anchor, seen nightly on CFRN-CTV News. In addition to her illustrious news career, Carrie sits on the board for the Alberta Foundation for Diabetes Research and volunteers with the Alberta Chapter of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation, and the YWCA Women of Distinction Awards.

Linnea Humphrey
On a dare, Linnea Humphrey entered her first Olympic Distance triathlon in the summer of 1992. After racing the Olympic Distance for five years, she entered her first Half Ironman in 1998, followed by her first Ironman Distance triathlon in 1999, Ironman Canada. Between 1999 and 2005 Linnea has completed nine Ironman competitions, placing in the top-ten of her age group seven times. Her race resume included four races at the Ironman World Championship, and a first place overall amateur female, at the International Triathlon Long-Distance Triathlon World Championship, 2005. Linnea has said that finding triathlon saved her life, as from 1986 to 1992 she battled with anorexia nervosa and bulimia, dropping to a low of 98 lbs. Linnea holds a Masters Degree in Social Work from the University of Toronto, and is an employee of the Ontario Public Service.

Shirley Benson
Dream, Plan, Achieve. This is the philosophy that enabled Shirley Benson to become Western Canada’s first professional female firefighter in October 1988. Being the first female firefighter for Edmonton Fire Department came with unique trials and tribulations. Shirley did not have any role models to guide her into these uncharted waters and the Edmonton Fire Department was not equipped to have a woman enter the work force. These were only seen as challenges for Shirley, not obstacles. By choosing to surround herself with positive attitudes, Shirley was able to draw her strength and courage to face these challenges.

Lynn Fraser
Life has a way of pulling people in many different directions, leaving them bewildered, exhausted and often dissatisfied. From single working mothers to business managers who work 60-hour work weeks, today’s society is battling with the clock at the expense of what’s important in life. At “Families are worth it!, Lynn provides impactful solutions for those who want balance and meaning in their lives. From one-on-one coaching to large-scale seminars for businesses and organizations, “Families are worth it!” helps put people on the track to more emotionally and financially fulfilling lives.

Gina Grain
Gina has been a member of the Canadian National Cycling Team since 2001. She began her career as a mountain bike racer, however, since then has found her niche on the road and track circuit. Gina holds five National Champion titles, she was ranked #1 in the world for the 2006 Track Scratch race season, Silver World Champion in the 2006 Scratch race, has competed in the Commonwealth Games for both road and track with two 4th place finishes. She was 2004 US Pro Cycling Tour Champion and holds many victories within the North America racing series. Currently Gina is training for the 2008 Olympics and continues to influence younger kids and women to get involved in the sport of cycling and to follow their dreams and passions.

Steffany Hanlen
Steffany Hanlen is an Olympic and World Class Performance Coach. For 16 years Steffany worked as an NHL skating Coach under contract, for the Edmonton Oilers and the St. Louis Blues. Since 1991 she has worked with players on every team in the NHL. After training in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) and as a Performance Excellence Coach for six years she decided that her gifts were best utilized with people wanting to bring out their Inner-Champion, people who knew “there had to be more”. Her focus turned to entrepreneurs, investors, and World class Athletes and Performers. Steffany Hanlen has a creative and inspiring story that proves that you CAN have and do anything you set your mind to.

Jaime Kessel
So, what exactly is a “Blatant Enthusiasm Expert”? Jaime Kessel’s extensive and varied work and education in the field of health and wellness, combined with a natural sense of fun and contagious enthusiasm for life has led to her unique brand of inspiration and motivation that can be described in no other way. Her genuine love of people and her ability to always see their potential is what makes her so effective at leading workshops and presentations on topics ranging from meaningful goal setting to experiencing the abandon of African drumming. Her programs are carefully and artfully crafted using her skills and training in Neuro-Linguistic-Programming which makes the results of her work actually “stick” for participants instead of them simply being a corporate hostage at yet another seminar.

Jennifer Martin
Jennifer Martin is an accomplished and experienced broadcast journalist who has covered top national stories as an anchor and reporter for CTV News in Toronto and delivered local news as a six o’clock anchor with Citytv in Edmonton. Jennifer is passionate about her community, acts as Master of Ceremonies for numerous charitable events and Chaired the 2006 Grand Prix Gala in support of Edmonton’s School Lunch Program which raised over $100,000 in a single night. She is on the Board of Directors of the Christmas Bureau of Edmonton, is an Honourary Governor of the Edmonton Realtors’ Charitable Foundation and Honourary Chair of the Alberta Branch of the Kidney Foundation of Canada as well as the Edmonton School Lunch Road Race.

Danielle Peers
For Danielle Peers, obstacles do not impede success; they define, entice, and invoke it. Danielle was an Academic-All-Canadian college basketball player until Muscular Dystrophy cut short her career, and opened up a new one in wheelchair basketball. Danielle embraced this challenge with passion, making the National Team six months after diagnosis. That same year she began a three-year winning streak of the Canadian Women’s Championships, and brought home a Bronze Medal from the Athens Paralympics. In 2005 she became the first woman to be named to the American Men’s All-star Team, followed up as the first female tournament MVP in 2006. Later that same year Danielle led Team Canada to a Gold Medal at the World Championships, where she took home the honor of the World’s Most Valuable Player.

Cindy Shaw
Success to women is more than just money, power and fame. It is about having confidence, positive relationships, personal fulfillment, balance and making a contribution. Hailed the “Leader in Women’s Success,” Cindy Shaw inspires women to believe that success is the result of personal attitude and focused attention. Her mission is to inspire, empower and educate women on how to create extraordinary lives. Cindy provides simple, step-by-step processes and tools that help her audience in learning how to thrive instead of strive and take control of their destiny through their thoughts, intentions and actions.