“They made fun of the last name. Called “Speed ​​Racer”. Gonov on the transition from skiing to cycling and the desire to participate in the Olympics

European track cycling champion Lev Gonov is currently one of the leaders of the national team. He claims to be neutral and is participating this week in prestigious international competitions in Italy, after having managed to get on the podium in Madison.

“” spoke with Gonov about his development as an athlete and a situation from which it is difficult to move to a new stage of development.

– I cycled from the age of two, on a children’s bike, and went to sports school in Sysert with the guys when I was 13. They dragged me! said Gonov. – I passed the test: they gave me a bike, old bike shoes, I even rode in shorts. I didn’t really understand the short distance, but I showed the best result in the long distance. The coach said to stay. A year later, they were already sent to a sports camp, played for the Sverdlovsk region and then moved to St. Petersburg, ended up in Lokomotiv.

And childhood is over.

– I never regret it. I had a wonderful childhood.

Is 13 too late to ride a bike?

– If in terms of the technique of owning a bicycle – yes, if it is considered from the side of health, then it is normal.

– Until the age of 13, parents manage to send the child to several sections. How was it for you?

– I went to wrestling and sambo, for five years I was engaged in cross-country skiing. I immediately started cycling from there – winter was over and I abruptly switched to cycling.

– Why didn’t you stay in cross-country skiing?

– I probably got more excited about cycling. I often think about skiing, in general I like winter, ours, Russian, cold, with snow. We have such great places to ride there. Cool sport, whole body pump. Sometimes I cross-country ski when doing business at home.

Was the transition difficult when you arrived in Saint Petersburg?

“Technically, it was difficult. It was difficult to immerse yourself in the competitive process, in the rules. The guys who preceded me, but my age, already knew more than me. I had to watch them, catch up to them and then watch those who are even stronger.

– The first velodrome – on Krestovsky?

– Yes.

– Was it scary?

– During the very first training session, he fell off the bend. I got up and continued. I then fell so many times in my career – I get up and go further if it’s nothing serious. As long as I’m alive, I’ll run it.

— Have you ever laughed at your last name? Cyclist Gonov!

– A lot! I also had the nickname “Speed ​​Racer”. And what? It’s cool.

– You are the world champion among juniors. How was the transition to adulthood?

– At some point, it stalled. On the track among the juniors there was young endurance, nonsense, and then falls, injuries, it was hard to have them. Lately I started to show myself better on the highway, I feel better, I had a good race in Italy at the start of the season.

You don’t look like a tracker.

I don’t watch at all. I consider myself a generalist. I have a speed piece, but I also have stamina. It is even sometimes difficult to understand which direction to choose first. It’s disturbing – for the track I need to get stronger and taller, on the highway such a physique is perfect.

– You didn’t offer yourself to the road team with a higher class?

– Could go with Gleb [Сырицей] in Astana Qazaqstan he could have become a trainee, but he fell and was injured.

– Now it is difficult for a Russian rider to enter the pros.

– Yes, we need connections, and speeds are constantly increasing. You have to constantly add, show yourself to be noticed – it’s hard.

How do you motivate yourself in this situation?

– If you do not take international starts, I want to win the individual and group road race in the Russian Championship, I do not have this title. Individual track racing also motivates me for higher seconds. It’s tough with team racing – it’s not all about you, it’s about the individual…

— Team racing on the track is usually a complicated story, even if purely technological.

We have good bikes. One of the best. Filippo Ganna has a newer bike, but we have the same wheels and tubes. Bikes are no longer a problem to get now, Alexander Anatolyevich (Kuznetsov is a trainer. – Approx. “”) will find everything for us. With the rest it’s more difficult – there are fewer high level competitions. If they were, they would have gone faster, the training would have been different. Technology – yes, this is a factor, although the same Italians are big, not so aerodynamic. Powerful! First you need to find the composition that can go fast. Our composition changes. Now, in principle, there are two of them, there is someone to choose from, it is already possible to work, including in science.

– When did you lose the chance to play in Tokyo and why?

– In the team race, we strike at the time of generational change. The elders left, and the boss put us forward. We were still rude, inexperienced – beginners! There were more opportunities to enter Madison, but it was just a bit lacking.

– In the Madison women’s event, they made it to the Games and won a medal.

“I was hoping for a better deal. When Gulnaz (Khatuntseva) and Masha (Novgorodskaya) were driving, I was at a training session, I heard a commentator on the show, I understood that there was a chance. And indeed the stars have converged, I am very happy for them. The main thing here is to qualify. There are fewer participants in the Olympic Games than in other international competitions.

“At the moment there is no chance of getting out.

None on the trail. On the highway – in the cut.

– Would you like to go? Clearly there is no chance for a medal, but the fact itself?

“Even if I was in the top 20, it would be an important moment for me. This experience is both professional and emotional. I will do my best for it, and no matter what. First, we have to take a decision on our participation in the Olympic Games. If I win the selection, if they leave me, if they decide that in this case I have to go, I understand that Sasha Vlasov will go earlier … For now, I can think of the Russian championship, and then we’ll see.

We just work on ourselves to grow. Last year I raced the Russian Championship and my time would be competitive with what was shown at the World Championship. Of course, you can say that I rode my own track, but the result was still good. Good seconds are emotional support in this situation.

– Who supports, apart from good seconds, Alexander Anatolyevich Kuznetsov?

– The tracker of the whole world, in this case, is not the richest athlete. Bradley Wiggins said that until he moved on to the World Tour, even as an Olympic track champion, his financial situation was not stable.

– We have a different attitude towards the winners of the Olympic Games. And even now, when there are alternative competitions, when there was a Spartakiad of the strongest, the prize money was very strong. I have a child, I’m not going to complain – we can handle it.

– There are those who complain – in football …

Comparing yourself to other sports is just stupid. So you can generally talk about everything in the world – but it’s better. Where does this lead? Yes, nothing. I just have to work to progress in the sport I have chosen. And my family is my main support in this regard.