Inspirational Canadian Paracyclist Marie-Claude Molnar to Take On #ClimateComeback as EcoAthletes Champion
July 12, 2005, started out like a normal Tuesday for the then 22-year-old Marie-Claude Molnar in Longeueil, a small town outside of Montréal. The athletic, intellectually curious cyclist was preparing for a 100km bike ride that would take her to LaColle not far from the U.S. border.
As a teenager, Molnar wanted to pursue Canada’s national obsession, ice hockey. “I wanted to be the goalie for Canada’s Olympic team; the great Manon Rheaume was of course my idol,” she noted, but that was not to be. Cycling, on the other hand, was another story.
“I did my first cycling race when I was eight on a 5-speed bike,” Molnar chuckled. “I used to ride for 30, 40km with my parents back in those days and it was a natural fit.”
Fast forward to that midsummer day. Molnar had a typical ride, going by the Parc Safari, and then, out of nowhere, she was hit by a car from behind going 110 km/hour (68 mph). She has no recollection of the accident.
“I was very lucky that an EMT happened to be right behind me,” Molnar shared. “What was told to me was that my helmet saved my life because my head hit the ground. I suffered severe traumatic brain injury and as a result, I still deal with mental energy drains, searching for words, cloudy thinking and sometimes lose my patience easily.”
Molnar spent three weeks in the hospital — she lost so much blood that she needed adrenaline to be brought back to life. Her left leg suffered 20 fractures, both arms were partially amputated, and she still had light head trauma.
And yet, six weeks later Molnar was back on the bike, literally.
“Coming back was the only option available,” she asserted. “The only thing you have control of is your reaction to a situation. My rehab physio was great, I made friends with other patients. How you react to challenges is the key. My reaction was ‘let’s GO!’”
Molnar certainly went back into life with gusto, starting at the University of Montréal (“I had five classes in that semester only three months after the accident; that was too much”), transferred to Concordia University.
“That’s where I really became much more conscious of the environment,” offered EcoAthletes’ newest Champion. “I studied history, German, diversity and, yes, sustainability at the Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability, which is part of Concordia University in Montreal, . I was inspired by my engaging professors to give back and so get involved with the student association to create opportunities for the student body, collaborate with the administration on organizing an annual conference on globalization, diversity and sustainability coordinated with an American college and create a student newsletter.”
Marie-Claude Molnar racing in Quebec in August 2022 (Photo credit: Lyne Boivin)
Marie-Claude Molnar (Photo credit: Daniel Paulhus)
Marie-Claude Molnar taking a break (Photo credit: Isabelle Archambault)
At the same time, Molnar got wind of para-cycling while watching the 2008 Beijing and Paralympic Games.
“I researched it, getting in touch with Lynne Bessette, a Canadian Olympic cyclist,” recalled Molnar. “I texted her, asking how I could get started. Louis Barbeau, the head of the Fédération Quebecoise des Sports Ciclistes explained how paracycling worked.”
The two-stage classification process is complex, with a board watching the cyclist train and race, a detailed medical review, a written test and more. She ended up being classified in the C-4 category, with C-1 being the most impacted and C-5 having the fewest impacts.
Molnar had no idea where paracycling would take her: “I saw myself as ‘Rudy’[1], an ambitious underdog. The interesting thing was that my training wasn't always the best in those days but on race day, something would unlock, and I would be able to up my game a notch. I got invited to train with the national team after my first race and was strong enough to get selected for the UCI Paracycling Road World Championships in Italy, just three months after starting to compete.”
Molnar quickly realized that mastering paracycling’s mental and tactical aspects was as necessary as physical and technical quality
“In time trials, it’s like you’re in a bubble; it’s just you and the bike,” explained Molnar. “You have to be fully present and self-aware, focusing on keeping a steady pace. Then, when it starts to hurt, turn the focus on to other things such as cadence, speed, breathing and just turning the legs and breathing.
The team road race is the opposite — you’re concerned with everyone else. On the Velodrome track, it’s very strategic and tactical because everything is measured.”
Molnar brought her all-around paracycling talents to the world’s biggest stages. Since 2011 she:
Won silver at the in the road race at the 2011 Para Pan-Am Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, then setting a world record in the 3,000m individual pursuit.
Earned a bronze medal in the individual time trials at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
Just missed the medal stand at Rio 2016, finishing 4th in the time trial and the track pursuit (“my foot unclipped from the pedal!”)
Came back to take silver at the Lima 2019 Para Pan-Am Games
Won both the road race and the time trial in her first post-COVID competition at the 2021 Para Cycling World Championships in Cascais, Portugal
All in all, she won more than 80 medals, including an astounding ten World Cup golds, and 15 world championships, and 30 national championship titles over the last 10+ years. Her last win took place in dramatic fashion at the Canadian National Championships in Edmonton at the end of June: “I got a flat during the beginning of warmups, quickly switched out the tire, had no time to prepare, and I went out and won!”
Her legacy secure as one of the greatest Canadian Paralympic athletes, Molnar is quickly and adroitly moving into her next chapter, that being a leader of the #ClimateComeback.
“My passion for environmental sustainability has grown with time, especially when I’m inspired by my close friends, mentors and role models who are very engaged in their community and are themselves environmental activists,” said Molnar. “For instance, I am very inspired by the Montréal neighborhood of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, which has a sustainability plan in place and their community is very engaged, lively, diverse, and welcoming.”
Her last trip to Germany as a competitive para cyclist further stoked her environmental passions: “It really was life changing. I stayed there for a week after the races in a small town and saw how the people worked and lived and how care for the environment is everywhere — gardening, composting, everybody does it. The mass transit system is fantastic, and 90 percent electrified.”
These experiences provided the impetus for her to apply for and ultimately get hired as the Communications Director role at the Women in Environment Network in Montréal. The organization’s goal is to build awareness of the environmental and climate crises and opportunities, with a particular focus on events that help improve the well-being of women. Molnar’s job will focus on social media, working with the Conseil Quebecois des Evenements Ecoresponsables.
Molnar was also recently selected to be one of 200 fellows worldwide to be part of a project led by Canadian author and environmental activist Margaret Atwood. The group will develop plans for a more sustainable future after the 8-week seminar.
Playing an active role in the #ClimateComeback as an EcoAthletes Champion will also be an important part of her environmentally- and climate-centric life.
“I can’t wait to get to work with a group of like-minded, passionate athletes that will help our fans make better environmental choices,” stated Molnar. “There is so much to do, and the EcoAthletes Champions certainly are doers!”
EcoAthletes founder and CEO Lew Blaustein believes that Molnar has a chance to have an outsized impact as a Champion.
“Marie-Claude clearly is not someone who lets obstacles stop her,” Blaustein opined. “Near-fatal cycling crash? Back on the bike in 12 months. Working with other Champions to lead climate action? She’ll be on that bike in a nanosecond! We are so lucky to have her.”
[1] Rudy is a 1993 film that explores the life of Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger, who harbored dreams of playing varsity football at Notre Dame despite facing significant obstacles.
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