Season 1, Episode 15: Leah Kirchmann, Part Two
Leah Kirchmann’s journey from the gravel roads and prairie headwinds of Manitoba to the top of global cycling is nothing short of extraordinary. A two-time Olympian, multi-time Canadian national champion, World Championship winner, and Tour de France podium finisher, Leah’s career spanned over a decade of racing at the highest levels, both in North America and Europe.
On episode 15 of the PedalCast, part two of this wonderful conversation, Leah takes us on an in depth tour through her story: discovering cycling as a teenager, racing in the Junior Worlds, breaking barriers in women’s professional cycling, and navigating the highs and lows of Olympic competition. She reflects on pivotal moments like winning three national championships in a single season, leaning into challenges to make the Olympic team, and the mental approach of treating setbacks as information to learn from.
Leah also discusses the power of teamwork, her role as a director sportif during Canada’s first elite women’s road race World Championship victory in Kigali, Rwanda, and her commitment to supporting and coaching the next generation of Canadian cyclists. Beyond her achievements on the bike, she shares her advocacy for women’s cycling and the growth of the sport during her career.
This conversation is as much about endurance, resilience, and leadership as it is about racing — an inspiring story from a true Manitoban who made her mark on the world stage and continues to shape the future of Canadian cycling.
Guests
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Leah Kirchmann
A two-time Canadian Olympian, Leah Kirchmann represented Canada at the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. She first discovered cycling at age 13 as summer cross-training for cross-country skiing—but it didn’t take long before the bike took over. By 2008 she was representing Canada at both the Junior Road and Mountain Bike World Championships, and by 2011 she had turned professional with Colavita–Forno d’Asolo.
Kirchmann went on to build a remarkable 12-year professional career, racing in North America with Optum Pro Cycling (2012–2015) before moving to the European WorldTour with the Dutch-based Team Liv-Plantur, later Team Sunweb and Team DSM (2016–2022). In 2014 she became the first Canadian woman to sweep all three national road titles in a single season—winning the road race, time trial, and criterium championships. Her international highlights include a Team Time Trial World Championship with Team Sunweb in Bergen, Norway (2017), a podium at the inaugural La Course by Le Tour de France in Paris (2014), and second overall in the Women’s WorldTour standings in 2016.
Since retiring from WorldTour racing, Kirchmann has turned her experience toward coaching and athlete development. In September 2025 she was part of Canada’s staff at the UCI Road World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda—the first Worlds ever held on African soil—where Canada’s Magdeleine Vallières captured the country’s first elite women’s road race rainbow jersey.