Chernove wins bronze in men’s 1000-m time trial in Rio
Tristen Chernove also sets record in C2 category
On Saturday, the third day of track competition at the velodrome in Rio, Cranbrooke, B.C.’s Tristen Chernove won bronze in men’s 1000-m time trial.
The event was a blend of categories: C1, C2 and C3. Chernove, who rode in the C2 category, clocked a time of 1:14.716. The time was a new record in the C2 category. Once all the time factors were considered, Chernove finished third in the overall standings.  Li Zhangyu of China (C1 ), who set a world record in his category, won gold. Arnoud Nijhuis of Netherlands, also C1, took silver. Ross Wilson of Edmonton finished 15th. Michael Sametz of Calgary was 17th.
RELATEDÂ Get familiar with UCI paracycling classification terms
“I was really nervous about getting on my bike,” Chernove said, “because I’m so tired from lack of sleep, I haven’t slept for three days. So I was really doubting myself. I got through the ride and got a medal, which is wonderful, but I’m far from riding at my performance level. So I’ve to get back on top of what I’m capable of for the road events. All I could do was trust in my body, that all the training and all the work the coaches have done with me and the muscle memory would pay off. [After being diagnosed in 2009] I only thought of cycling as a way to delay my degeneration, and because it is something I love, and it was my passion for cycling that got me to this level. I do this because riding bikes is glorious. So it’s just a wonderful gift that this has happened.”
Ross Wilson also spoke on his race. “I made a really hard effort to get started out of the gate and thought it went really well,” he said. “I had a bit of a wobble on the third lap: I was pulling on the bars a little too much and had the wheels slide a bit, but I was able to get back on and really empty the tank on the last lap. I’m really proud of that, and overall I felt it was ‘job done’ and I can’t complain.”
Michael Sametz gave it his all, too. “It was hard after racing last night as well,” Sametz said, “but I just went all out. Usually I’m not a great starter, so I end up picking it up at the end. It’s funny, when I was 14 and started racing, I told people my goal was to go to Rio, so it’s pretty incredible.”
