Erika Salumäe
On 11 June, the Estonian track rider celebrated her 59th birthday. Salumäe won the first Olympic gold medal for her country after the nation gained independence in 1991. She also won a gold medal in track cycling at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Korea, when she was still competing for the USSR. Salumäe holds two world championship gold medals and two silver medals, and has set multiple world records on the track. She came to cycling rather late, having endured difficult family circumstances while growing up as an orphan. When she won the match sprint gold for the Soviet Union in Seoul in 1988, Estonia rewarded her with a house as recognition of her achievement. After having had back surgery, she had to sell her gold medals at an auction in 2013 to raise funds to cover her medical expenses. Even in her retirement from competitive cycling, she still stays involved in the sport, working on projects with the Estonian Youth Work Centre, as well as offering coaching while living in Spain.
Karen Brems
Born on 13 June 1962 in Illinois, USA, the American rider won the inaugural women’s individual time trial at the worlds in Catania, Italy in 1994. Before making her career in cycling, she was a gymnast, yet found cycling to be more suitable to her abilities. She also won several Masters World Championships in cyclocross and worked as a Sports Director with the Webcor Builders women’s cycling team in California. |