The Beginning of a Track Cyclist: 1993-1994
September 1993 brought a chance meeting with National
Track Cycling Coach, Des Dickie, who would become her
coach for the next 6 years.

Between juggling working full-time and an intense training
schedule she went to Havana, Cuba for a track training and racing camp in February 1994. After only 4 weeks of track preparation Lori-Ann won the Cuban National Track Sprint Championship and one week later would break her collarbone in training. As a result of her performances in the Cuban National Championships she finally made the Canadian National Cycling Track Team. Eight weeks later travel would take her to her first World Cup race in Copenhagen, Denmark.

During that time she would finish 3rd in a European Grand Prix, qualify to make the 1994 Commonwealth Games Team but unfortunately double tendonitis of both knees would grind her season to a halt. Taking time off, proper rehabilitation, and rest over the next 11⁄2 years would put her back into excellent form for a strong come back for the 1996 season.

Return of a Champion: 1996
Lori-Ann returned to Ontario for work and training and would go on to win 2 titles at the Canadian National Track Cycling Championships held in Victoria, B.C. She would receive Ontario’s “Steve Bauer Most Improved Rider of the Year” Award for these performances.

Gaining Some International Experience: 1997-1999
Participating in the World Cup circuit in 1997, Lori-Ann would win her first World Cup Silver medal in the Match Sprints in Adelaide, Australia. Two weeks later it was on to her first ever World Track Cycling Championships in Perth where she qualified 10th in the Flying 200Metres and finished 10th overall in the Match Sprints.

The highlight of 1998 was participating in her first-ever major Games, the XVI Commonwealth Games held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Lori-Ann was the first of three women who would set new Commonwealth Games Records in the Flying 200Metre qualification, and then rode to a Bronze medal!

1999 started off really well with racing in Texas, Cuba, and Mexico City, but with a really bad chest infection from Mexico City her season quickly came to a halt at the end of May. Up to this point all of Lori-Ann’s preparation for the track had been on the road, not necessarily the best place to train because when it came to race time she was definitely at a deficit compared to her competitors who were consistently training daily on a velodrome. Race day was the only time Lori-Ann could actually “train” on a track. Without a velodrome in Toronto Lori-Ann moved to Edmonton in late August and began training on Edmonton’s velodrome, a legacy left from the 1978 Commonwealth Games.