Team USA's Ashlin Barry recalls becoming World Champion: 'One of the first texts was from Wout'

"It still feels very surreal," Barry begins. “After the World Championships, I flew straight to Los Angeles to prepare for the Track Cycling World Championships, so to be honest, I’ve barely had time to let it all sink in. Actually, it still feels like a dream.”

"My plan was to go on the attack early in the race. I knew it would be tough to keep up with the strongest riders on the climbs, so I wanted to try to move up and seize my chance when it presented itself," he recalls of the U23 World Championships.

"The pace was pretty high right from the start, and there were a lot of strong riders trying to break away. In the end, I was the last one to make it into the lead group," says Barry.

"With five riders out front, it seemed like a good situation, though I did think for a moment: with 120 kilometers to go, this might be a bit too early. At the same time, I felt good and decided to go for it."

"As the race went on, my confidence grew. I felt like I still had plenty of energy left and that I could keep up well with the other riders," said the talkative young man.

"That made me believe more and more that we could hold on deep into the race. With thirty kilometers to go, I accelerated and rode ahead on my own.”

"To be honest, for a long time I didn't think I'd be able to hold on solo all the way to the finish. It wasn’t until halfway through the final lap that I started to believe it," recalled Barry.

"I looked back, saw that I still had a good lead, and suddenly realized: this might actually work out. That was a very special, almost surreal feeling,” said Barry.

Afterward, he came across as calm in Montreal. “I have to say I had myself well under control. I stayed in the moment and knew exactly what I had to do. On the final lap, I just got goosebumps from all the fans lining the course," he said.

"With five kilometers to go, it slowly started to sink in: holy shit, I’m actually going to win this. At one point, you can even see me smiling at the camera. That was a very special moment.”

"So much was happening that I can't even remember everything exactly," Barry laughs. "First there was the podium ceremony, then the interviews, and after that we raised a toast with the whole team at the hotel. That evening, I had dinner with my family. It was a crazy 24 hours.”

"One of the first messages I saw was from Wout [van Aert]. I thought that was really cool; I hadn't expected that at all. I’ve been following Wout since I was young and have immense admiration for him. I’ve had the chance to ride with him a few times this season, and that was an amazing experience. He’s a huge source of inspiration for me,” says the American.

Eventually, he hopes to race alongside the Belgian even more. “There have been so many young riders in the past who’ve achieved success and moved up from the Development Team to the senior squad, says Barry hopefully.

"I find it very inspiring to be on a team with riders who perform at such a high level and have won the biggest races. Because you know them and ride alongside them, it feels more and more realistic that you, too, can achieve those kinds of results.”