LIVIGNO – Canadian Evan Bichon had to change boards on the fly Thursday when a binding snapped in the start gate during the Olympic snowboard cross competition.
But the 27-year-old from Mackenzie, B.C., had to deal with far worse in getting to the Milan Cortina Games.
His mother, Trish Bichon, died of cancer in November while Bichon was at a training camp in Austria preparing for the World Cup season and a last-ditch attempt to qualify for the Olympics. She was just 63.
Bichon, who shared a home with his mother in North Vancouver, immediately flew home. The games were put on hold as life interjected.
Trish had been diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer in the summer and had undergone surgery to remove a tumour before…