Leah Kirchman (Team Sunweb) has fully recovered from the injury that ended her 2019 season prematurely as she embarks on an important year that opens with the Women's Tour Down Under and includes both the World Championships and the Tokyo Olympics.

The Canadian rider was sidelined in September after suffering a torn MCL in a fall during the Balls Ladies Tour. The injury forced her to miss the World Championships in Yorkshire, but her extended time off the bike allowed her to take a much-needed winter break, and during a team presentation at Sunweb in early December, the 29-year-old explained the positive aspects of her rest period.

"My recovery went really well. I took some time off after that, but now I'm back to normal training and feeling strong for the new season," Kirchman told Cycling News. [I took six weeks off and then was able to start. I embraced it as the start of my off-season. I saw friends and family and recharged my batteries for the new year."

The 2019 season was a successful campaign for Kirchman until his crash in the Netherlands. He was a consistent presence in the spring classics, earning several top-10 finishes before two top-10 finishes at the Tour of California. After a successful season in Canada, Kirchman returned to Europe and finished sixth overall in the Women's Tour and second at La Course in July; in August, she finished third in GC at the Ladies Tour of Norway, and Kirchman seemed to be hitting her stride just in time for the World Championships.

"To be honest, before my injury I was very happy with my season, I was able to maintain a really consistent level throughout the year and achieve big goals like a podium finish in La Course. It was just unfortunate that I had to miss the World Championships. Other than missing the last part of the season, it was a satisfying year.

"The injury allowed me to take a longer break. I was more motivated and refreshed. I have the World Championships, of course, and the Olympics, which will broaden my sporting horizons. I know I'll be starting in Australia, but I've never been there before. I'm looking forward to seeing a new country and I'm excited to train in a warmer place because it was really cold in Canada. I'm going a little early to get used to the time difference and conditions so I can train with the Canadian track team in New Zealand."

Kirchmann's full race program has yet to be finalized, but she will play an important role in the Sunweb World Tour schedule as well as her start in Australia. There will certainly be a certain amount of Olympic attention as Kirchmann will be competing for one of the two slots on the national team.

"I want to keep improving as a rider. I want to achieve a super consistent level and help the team by trying to win myself. I want to represent Canada in the Olympics. There are two slots, so there will be some competition to make the team."

While the Olympics are very important to riders like Kirchman, the lack of equality between the men's and women's quotas raises serious questions about the state of professional sports once again. For example, while 130 elite men race road races in Tokyo, only 67 women are given the same opportunity.

When news of the race quota system was first released in November, the governing bodies involved were criticized.

"I think it's time to change it. The quotas for men and women should be equal. It is unacceptable that there is a big difference. I have heard that this issue has been raised with the IOC and that the UCI is working on it," she told Cycling News.

"My dream is to have equal slots in the next Olympic cycle; the UCI is promoting equality and I think it should be reflected. Women's cycling has grown a lot in the last few years and more riders are joining teams. There are more teams and more races."

Team Sunweb has done more than most other teams to establish a level of gender equality. While the women's World Tour team is on par with the men's team, there is also a development team within the program.

"Sunweb is a great blueprint for other teams to follow. Sunweb was one of the first teams to start a program like this and has integrated with multiple teams. We have access to all the same resources and everything is done as one team."

"It is encouraging that in the last few years other teams have started to add women and development teams. We have shown that this is a successful model and that having an expanded program actually increases the exposure of the team."