Live chat replay – Michael Barry

Canadian talks about his career as a professional bike racer.

Canadian Cycling Magazine May 25, 2012

Thank you for joining Canadian Cycling Magazine for a live web chat with Sky Procycling’s Michael Barry on Friday.

Barry broke his femur and elbow during the early season stage race Tour of Qatar. He made a full recovery and recently returned to the professional peloton placing a respectable 20th overall at the Glava Tour of Norway that concluded on Sunday, May 20.

Barry started racing at the professional ranks in 1999 with the U.S.-based team Saturn. He went on to compete for U.S. Postal Service, T-Mobile, HTC-Highroad and Sky Procycling.

[HTML1]

9:26

Canadian Cycling – KF:

Good morning and welcome to our live web chat with Sky Procycling’s Michael Barry. The long-time Canadian pro is a native of Toronto, and currently resides in Girona, Spain with his beautiful wife Dede and their two children.

9:27

Michael Barry:

Good morning.

9:27

Canadian Cycling – KF:

Barry broke his femur and elbow during the early season stage race Tour of Qatar. He made a full recovery and recently returned to the professional peloton placing a respectable 20th overall at the Glava Tour of Norway that concluded on Sunday, May 20.

9:28

Canadian Cycling – KF:

Michael, walk us through your recovery process?

9:28

Michael Barry:

Yes, it was good to be back racing after such a long time away from the peloton. I don’t think I’ve been off the bike for that long since I was a toddler.

9:29

Michael Barry:

Basically, for four weeks I couldn’t put any weight on my leg, so I used a crutch to hobble around the house and my wife pushed me around in a wheelchair when we had to go into town.

9:31

Canadian Cycling – KF:

Were you surprised by your performance in Norway or did you expect to race reasonably well?

9:31

Michael Barry:

Immediately after I had surgery on my elbow I was able to get it moving. It took about four weeks to get the normal range of motion back. But, to get to that point, I was going to see the physiotherapist 2-3 times a week for 2 hour sessions.

9:33

Michael Barry:

Before I left for Norway I knew my fitness was good as I had been riding with teammates and could gauge my fitness against theirs. Also, as I use a power meter I could tell I was in decent shape. But, what I didn’t know is how I would recover. All in all, I felt good once I got racing again and my recovery was as good as ever

9:33

Comment From Jim

How do you stay fit when not riding?

9:36

Michael Barry:

Hi Jim, You asked how I stay fit when not riding. I lost a lot of fitness when I was sitting in bed as I was not moving much at all. Once the Docs could see my fracture was healing well and was stable I was able to begin with some core strength exercises. Otherwise, in the off season, I tend to run quite often, hike, and…jump on the trampoline with my sons.

9:37

Canadian Cycling – KF:

Do you have a favourite hiking destination?

9:37

Michael Barry:

Also, when I’m not riding I simply try to keep moving–so I’ll walk instead of driving etc. Avoiding weight gain is key as well as it is much harder to regain fitness if you also have to lose a pile of weight.

9:39

Michael Barry:

When I was in Boulder we did a lot of hiking as we had great access to trails from our home(which we sold in 2007 when we decided to move to Girona). Here, in Girona, our house backs up to kilometres of great trails and a mountain named Els Angels. It is ideal for hiking, mountain biking, trail running or riding the CX bike.

9:39

Comment From Norm

Obviously bike racing can be dangerous, how many bones have you broken now?

9:39

Michael Barry:

In Toronto, I grew up riding, hiking and playing in the parks–Sunnybrook, Sherwood and the Don Valley.

9:40

Michael Barry:

I’ve lost count of broken bones.

9:40

Comment From Frank

Michael, you’ve ridden the Giro, the Tour de France, been to the Olympics and done many of the classics. Is there anything you haven’t done in cycling you’d like to do?

9:40

Michael Barry:

elbow x2, femur x2, scaphoid, ribs (many), nose, vertebrae x 6…..

9:44

9:44

Michael Barry:

Hi Frank, Good question. I’ll be racing in Luxembourg next week which is a race I haven’t done yet–that should be fun. Also, The Tour of Norway last week was good fun as well as it was a new race. I’d like to do some good long cyclotourist events when I retire. Maybe the Three Peaks CX race in the UK. The Raid Pyrenean is on my to-do list as well. As for the races…I’ve been fortunate to do most so don’t really have any more on the list. Although the big ones–the Tour, the Classics and the Olympics and Worlds are always on the list no matter how many times we do them.

9:45

Canadian Cycling – KF:

Have you been watching the Giro on TV? Tomorrow is the penultimate stage with a big climb up Stelvio. Have you ridden (or raced) up Stelvio during your career and who do you think will win the stage?

9:46

Michael Barry:

Yes, I’ve been trying to watch the Giro as much as I can. Ryder is flying! Awesome to see. I’d put some money on him winning the overall.

9:47

Canadian Cycling – KF:

Your teammate Rigoberto is 2:56 back in fifth place, can he pull off a podium place in the overall?

9:47

Michael Barry:

I rode the Stelvio in 2005 when my teammate Paolo Salvodelli won the Giro. It is relentlessly brutal. But, I had been riding on the front for three hours before we arrived at the climb so maybe my perspective was a bit off.

9:49

Michael Barry:

Rigo can time trial quite well so he should be able to do alright on Sunday. He’ll just have to be consistent today and tomorrow. It seems many good riders crack in the final days of the Giro as the accumulation of fatigue and climbing becomes too much.

9:50

Canadian Cycling – KF:

Do you think Ryder is the faster time trialist of the top GC riders at the Giro this year?

9:50

Michael Barry:

Overall, it has been an exciting race this year. But, maybe I’m biased as Ryder has been performing so well.

9:50

Michael Barry:

Yes, he is one of the quickest out of the top ten.

9:50

Comment From Bob

I’m sure you’ve been paying pretty close attention to the Giro, what do you think Ryder’s chances are?

9:52

Canadian Cycling – KF:

What did you initially think of Roberto Ferrari’s move during the Giro’s stage three sprint, when your teammate Cavenish crashed?

9:52

Michael Barry:

Hi Bob–His chances are very good. He’s been consistent through the entire race. He is a solid time trialist so he should be able to pull back the time on Rodriguez. He’ll just have to maintain the gap on pink until Sunday (or better yet, close it a bit before then!).

9:54

Michael Barry:

Ferrari’s move was horrendous. He should have been disqualified from the race. Riders are becoming less respectful and considerate of their rivals. There is a sad trend in cycling where riders are willing to take greater risks…

9:55

9:56

Michael Barry:

there are many who are fearless and disregard their peers, who are really also their co-workers, in the peloton

9:56

Canadian Cycling – KF:

You started racing at the professional ranks in 1999 with the U.S.-based team Saturn, and went on to compete for U.S. Postal, T-Mobile, HTC-Highroad and now Sky Procycling. Do you have a most memorable season?

10:01

Michael Barry:

That’s a tough question. Each season had highlights. Some were more difficult than others but in every season I felt I grew and learned as a cyclist. Overall, on Sky we have a good group of riders, I have a lot of fun with them, and the infrastructure is ideal–we don’t have much to worry about and are well taken care of. Likely, when I’m old and grey I’ll remember the moments I’ve spent with teammates on the bus, in the hotel or out training. Those are now the most memorable when I look back. In 2008 at the Beijing Olympics I remember quite a bit about the race etc but what sticks out are the laughs Ryder, Svein and I had in the athletes’ village and after the race. My career is filled with moments just like those.

10:01

Michael Barry:

And somehow, those are the moments that have made the journey great.

10:02

Comment From Scott

Hi Michael, how many more years do you think you’ll be racing as a pro?

10:03

10:06

Michael Barry:

Hi Scott, Good question. I’m getting old so I’ll surely retire in the next year or two. I’m just coming back from an injury so don’t want to make any big decisions until I’ve been racing for a few months. For the moment, ironically, I’m enjoy cycling as much as I did when I was a teenager. But, I also know I can’t keep going forever. I want to spend time with my family as they seem to grow inches every time I leave for a race. I don’t want to miss those changes for much longer.

10:07

Comment From Jim

What do you think of the new crop of Canadian cyclist, do you think we are getting better or have there always been strong canadians

10:08

Michael Barry:

Sorry to clarify–my sons seem to grow inches–not my family

10:09

Michael Barry:

There are some very good Canadians coming up and already in the World Tour. I’m impressed with Veilleux, Rollin and many of the Spider-Tech riders. The future is bright for Canadian cycling. Also, I’m sure Ryder’s performance in the Giro will only bring more people into the sport.

10:10

Canadian Cycling – KF:

That’s OK, we understood. Do you think your sons will show an interest in professional bike racing, and follow in the footsteps of you and Dede?

10:11

Michael Barry:

Spider-Tech is ideal for developing Canadian talent. We’ve needed a good Canadian team to support our young riders. Many talented riders have quit as they haven’t had the opportunity or support once they get to the higher levels in cycling.

10:14

Michael Barry:

I’m not sure if my sons will race bikes. After I returned from Qatar, broken, they didn’t want to ride as they were scared they would get injured. But, now we’re taking family rides again and they seem to enjoy it. It doesn’t bother me either way if they become pro cyclists but I do hope they can enjoy riding and commuting on bikes. Cycling has shown me and Dede the world and it brought us together.

10:15

Canadian Cycling – KF:

Just a quick reminder that we will be ending our chat with Michael Barry in five minutes.

10:15

Comment From Mark Timmons

What will you do after racing?

10:17

10:17

Michael Barry:

Hi Mark, I’ll continue writing once I’ve retired as it is something I enjoy. I’m not sure whether I’ll make a career out of it but I’ll do it as a hobby regardless. On one level, I’d like to stay in cycling as it is something I know and love but for the moment, I’m still undecided what I’ll do. I definitely want to challenge myself in other directions as well whether that is within or outside of the sport.

10:18

Canadian Cycling – KF:

Will you be visiting or racing in Canada this year? Any plans to race the national championships again?

10:20

Michael Barry:

Our race programs for the second half of the season haven’t been decided yet. I’d love to return to Canada to race in Montreal and Quebec. Last year, those two races were amazing–definitely a highlight of my season.

10:20

Michael Barry:

If my race schedule allows I’ll come back for Nationals.

10:21

Canadian Cycling – KF:

Thank you for joining our live web chat with Michael Barry. Best of luck to you, Michael, during the rest of your season.

10:21

Michael Barry:

Thanks for asking me on and thanks for all of the good questions. Perhaps, we could do this again before too long? Best. Michael