Ashlin Barry pursues family racing tradition, 2028 Olympics already a goal

Does the name Barry ring a bell in the racing memory bank? Olympians Michael Barry and Deirdre “Dede” Demet-Barry were very successful road cyclists in their prime, but now they focus on handing the legacy of racing to a rising junior star, son Ashlin Barry. 

The 17-year-old now races for the EF Education-ONTO development team and has been selected to represent national teams for Canada and the USA, as he has dual citizenship. He is making himself very much at home on the highest step of podiums as a junior while remaining low-key about his last name.

“If I try my best, I can be satisfied regardless of the result,” is one of the mantras the young Barry has learned from his parents. Dede raced for 16 seasons, winning the junior road World Championship in 1989 six US national road titles and a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in the women’s road race. Michael raced 14 seasons with appearances in all three Grand Tours, two Canadian road titles and a top 10 in the road race at the 2008 Olympic Games. 

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Ashlin Barry started 2024 on the track in early January at The Next Generation event in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, where he came away with first place in the Elimination, Skratch and Tempo races and added silver medals in the Individual Pursuit and Team Pursuit competitions.

A two-time winner of the prestigious Green Mountain Stage Race in Vermont, Barry transitioned to the road in February and promptly took the GC title at Valley of the Sun’s three days of racing, with his EF Education-ONTO teammates joining him in a podium sweep, Peyton Burckel second overall and Noah Streif third. Next was a trip back to Europe with Team USA, where he competed in a trio of events, leading off at Tour du Bocage et de l’Ernée in France and earning his first junior UCI stage race overall victory. 

So how did he do on the fabled cobbles of Paris-Roubaix in the junior race, which was held a few hours before the World Tour pros? He was the top North American to finish in seventh place, just 33 seconds off the winning pace by Slovenian junior champion Jakob Omrzel. The best US finish in the past five years was Brooks Wienke (Hot Tubes Devo), with 26th in 2021.

Ashlin concluded his European spring stint with Team USA on the Roubaix velodrome, and he will now return for his summer programme across North America, which will include a first-time appearance at US Road Nationals. While still in France, Ashlin Barry discussed his childhood, competitive nature and goals racing a bicycle with Cyclingnews.

Cyclingnews: Ashlin, tell us about your diverse upbringing and having dual citizenship with USA and Canada.

Ashlin Barry: When I was born, my family was splitting their time between Boulder, Colorado and Girona, Spain. My family moved to Toronto, Canada, after my first couple of years in school in Girona. I’ve been in a few different schools since my family moved to Toronto, but I have enjoyed a lot of benefits of growing up in such a culturally diverse city. 

CN: Tell us a little about your family and what activities you enjoy with them off the bicycle. 

AB: I am fortunate to have a really big family. My grandmother lives down the street from us (in the Toronto area), and we spend a lot of time with her. Most of my family lives in the US in Wisconsin, Minnesota and New York. I also have some relatives in British Columbia, so I unfortunately don’t get to spend a lot of time with them. 

Growing up, my parents always encouraged me to do a lot of different things, and not a lot of it involved cycling until I told my parents I wanted to race. My sister and I have very different interests but our parents always encouraged us to do a wide range of activities and the freedom to explore our interests. When I was younger, I played hockey and soccer, swam competitively, ran track and XC, and cross-country skied until I started bike racing more seriously. 

At the moment, when I’m off the bike, I’m usually pretty busy with school but otherwise I’ll spend most of my time with friends and my family.

CN: Do you enjoy high school?

AB: I’m still in high school, year 11. I go to an IB [International Baccalaureate] school, so it’s pretty academically challenging, but I’ve found a good balance between racing and school. I plan to graduate in May of next year [2025], so I don’t have too much left. I feel like I am learning things I can use in the future. I get sort of anxious sitting in class all day, and really, I’m happiest when I am outdoors and exploring new places.

CN: As your cycling career continues, what are a couple of things your parents have taught you that you always remember or try to do?

AB: They taught me a lot about bike handling, racing, etcetera, and to just enjoy riding whether it’s riding to school, training, racing or just messing around with my friends. I think one of the most important things they taught me when I was young is to try my best and if I try my best, I can be satisfied regardless of the result. Although I am really competitive, I don’t get really upset if I lose as long as I’ve done my best. Often, those moments become learning experiences from which I can build on.

CN: So when did you fall in love with racing bikes, and where do you enjoy riding?

AB: I’m not sure I can pin it exactly to one time. Growing up, I was always really competitive and loved playing a wide range of sports, so I would compete as much as I could. I started racing cyclocross when I was 10, but I did it alongside a lot of other activities. I also did some mountain bike racing before the pandemic hit. 

When the pandemic hit, it stopped me from competing in any sports for a couple of years and so I just started riding and running way more. I started mountain biking with my friends a few hours a day and I just kept going out more and more.  When we were not riding, we were often building trails and hitting jumps in the park near my house. 

I had so much time sitting at home doing online school during the pandemic that I began wanting to get out and ride and run as much as I could, as it gave me freedom. Then when things started to return back to normal, I realized I liked cycling more than the other sports I did. I had an opportunity to race on the track for the first time in Fall 2021 and really enjoyed it and then I raced on the road for the first time at the Tour of America’s Dairyland in Milwaukee in June 2022. That was a really great experience and made me want to start racing on the road more. 

CN: You are accomplished in many cycling disciplines. What are your favourites?

AB: I love racing on the road and track the most. On the track I’m focused on endurance events: Omnium, Pursuit, Madison, and I like them all pretty equally. If I had to pick my favourite race on the track it would be the Points Race. On the road, I honestly feel the same way. I’m still discovering where my biggest strengths are, as it is newer to me but I’m quite well-rounded. 

CN: What was your reasoning behind a switch in 2024 to race with a US licence rather than one from Canada?  

AB: There were a number of reasons. My mom raced for the US National team for 16 years and had a great experience. I feel really fortunate to be a part of a supportive program. US Cycling is working hard to bring back their development programs to help kids get to the highest level. So far, it has been fantastic. Gavin Mannion has been great as a DS, there is a nice team house I’ve been staying at in the Netherlands, and we have great support on the mechanical and care side. 

CN: What did you learn when racing for Canada?

AB: I only did one race representing Canada when I was 15 on the track, which was organized by a coach I’ve worked a lot with, Chris Reid, who manages the Mattamy Velodrome. It was the 2023 NEXTGEN international junior track meet in Apeldoorn, Netherlands. It was a really great opportunity for me to race at such a high level when I was at least a year younger than all the other athletes, and it opened my eyes to what is possible and how high the level is. 

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CN: You raced Paris-Roubaix Juniors with the US National team alongside ONTO teammate Gray Barnett. Tell us what you were thinking before the event.

AB: It’s a race that I’ve dreamed of competing in since I started cycling. Gray and I are good friends, and it’s nice having him with me, racing on the national team. We have trained together a lot over the last year or so and get along well. It definitely helps to have experience racing together, too. It’s been fun getting to know all the guys better and Gavin is both a relaxed and knowledgeable DS; I have learned a lot from him these past few weeks.

It’s a big event for sure, like a World Champs. Roubaix is one of around 10 UCI Junior Nations Cup races every year which means the race is mostly composed of national teams with a few top trade teams being present.

CN: What did you think about your first ride at Paris-Roubaix? You made the selection to the front group but cramped with 20km to go and chased solo to the finish for a top 10.

AB: It was a pretty special experience. The cobbles were really rough and definitely got harder as the race went on and my body started to ache a bit more over the last sectors. My back and wrists were particularly sore after the race, and my hands had a few blisters. 

The highlight of the day for me was riding in the last couple of cobbled sectors, particularly Camphin en Pevele and Carrefour de l’Arbre. There were crowds of fans completely lining both those sectors and it was a really special feeling to ride through them at the front of the race.

CN: You recently won your first UCI stage race, Tour du Bocage, congratulations. Tell us about that experience.

AB: Thank you. It was a special win for me. It was my first UCI race in Europe as a junior and I was stoked with the result. I didn’t start with any expectations, as I knew it was a higher level than I had ever raced before. To come away with the win gives me a lot of confidence in my ability as it shows that I can compete and win at that level. 

CN: What do you enjoy about riding for EF Education-ONTO? 

Racing with EF Education-ONTO since the start of last year has been a really great experience for me. I have learned a lot and had very good support. Racing with the team has given me a lot of amazing opportunities to do international races and to travel, and as a result, I have experienced a lot of things that I wouldn’t have otherwise. What I’ve enjoyed most is being part of a team with riders that I’m good friends with. I’m not completely sure what my schedule for the rest of this year will look like yet. I’d definitely like to race some crits this year, but I’ll have to see how things go. 

CN: Where would you like to be in your cycling career in the next five years, when you’ll still be just 23?

AB: I definitely want to race professionally. It’s hard to know what I can accomplish as it seems very distant. I’d like to combine racing on the road and track. The Olympics in 2028 are a big goal for me to look towards, but there are a lot of goals I have before that. 

I prefer to focus on one goal at a time while keeping the big picture in mind. I was focused on Paris-Roubaix and then can rest for a week and start focusing on the next phase.