Jane Thrall

Gail gravel riding

Photo by Bruce Copeland

While nurturing students during her career as an educator, she was also navigating the world of elite bicycle racing. She spent twenty-three years in the classroom and another eight as a curriculum consultant with the Edmonton Public School Board. Every two-wheeled commute was part of Gail’ s training for life in the fast lane. Now retired, she remains a fixture on the roads and tracks of Alberta, constructing a foundation for the next generation of Canadian cycling champions.

Gail was enamoured with cycling from an early age, joining the Edmonton Road and Track Club at just 17, showing promise as a strong and disciplined rider. After a couple of seasons of novice road racing, the Canadian National Cycling Team was impressed by Gail and brought her on board for development. This was a time when women’ s cycling was low on both funds and logistical support, but the women were relentless and

Gail’ s moment of victory

made huge personal sacrifices to compete on the national stage. Gail spent a few years travelling to the United States, France, and the Netherlands with the team before an injury brought her back home to Alberta. Switching to the Juventus Cycling Club, she continued to train and race as a master and brought home several national titles. She has accumulated an abundance of medals, including a bronze in the individual pursuit at the World Masters in Manchester in 2006.

Over time, Gail began to focus on track racing, training at Edmonton’ s Argyll Velodrome built for the 1978 Commonwealth Games. When Lori-Ann Muenzer won Olympic gold on the track in 2004, the sport gained substantial

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