Gunnar Holmgren

Biography

Gunnar Holmgren won Team Canada’s first medal at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games when he rode to gold in the men’s cross-country mountain bike race. That was about six months after he won silver at the 2023 Pan American Championships. In between, he finished fifth at the official Olympic test event of the Paris 2024 mountain bike venue in September 2023, 

In May 2024, Holmgren achieved a career-best result on the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup circuit when he finished eighth in the elite men’s cross-country race in Nove Mesto na Morave, Czechia. That came on the heels of a bronze medal at the 2024 Pan American Championships. 

Holmgren had first competed in elite cross-country World Cup events in 2022 after four years in the U23 division. He was the Canadian U23 champion in men’s cross-country in 2021. 

A Little More About Gunnar

Getting into the Sport: Started riding at age 5… Decided to pursue cycling seriously in 2013 and joined a local racing team in 2015… Has competed in mountain bike, road cycling, and cyclocross… Outside Interests: Works as a barista at a local cafe in the off season… Likes to cook… He and his father design, build, and maintain his local cyclocross course… Odds and Ends: Two of his sisters, Isabella and Ava, are also cyclists; they won gold and silver in the junior division at the 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Championships; Isabella also won gold in the junior women’s cross-country race at the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships…