Shadows on the Road
Talking points from former US Postal and Team Sky rider Michael Barry’s new autobiography
Bradley Wiggins comes across as an awkward character
Okay, this mightn’t be news to many but Barry adds layers to the Wiggins enigma. As described by Barry, the anxious and mentally fragile Wiggins circa the 2010 Tour and the overly confident character of 2012 could be different people. “I’ve seen both sides many times,” says Barry. “When physically challenged he’s unpredictable. He remains calm if he feels capable, can control variables and knows he’s good enough to win. Without that security and guidance, he falls to pieces.”
Intimidation informed the atmosphere on US Postal
Barry joined in 2002, well into Lance Armstrong’s Tour dominance, and had a hard time settling in. “Like being back in high school,” writes Barry, “I felt constantly judged.” He adds that he felt uncomfortable in Armstrong’s presence and that, rather than talk to him like a team-mate, riders would treat him like a superior, “which he was in so many ways. When he entered a room, the atmosphere became tense. Conversations became guarded. Everybody knew their jobs were on the line.”
Professional cycling is a cruel world
Barry suffered his fair share of injuries and the book documents their aftershocks. “To a spectator, our injuries may look no more serious than a splinter or stubbed toe, nothing more than an irritation quickly forgotten. But we feel our injuries with the same intensity as anyone else. They hurt. And our memories hold on to these life-changing moments. With each crash we slowly lose the fearlessness of a child. Caution, which blossoms with maturity, has lengthened my career but also may have cost me victories.” Team doctors hand them out, writes Barry, to improve performance and tolerance, and it’s “a practice which is so accepted, it happens without anyone noticing… When I crashed and broke ribs on the second day of the Tour de France [in 2010] I took tramadol to alleviate the pain. The drug made me feel slightly euphoric. It made my legs feel painless. I could push harder than normal. It was as performance-enhancing as any banned drug I had taken... the nonchalance with which riders ask for these pills is unsettling.”
Legal painkillers are a problem
Despite the doping, the horrific injuries, the painful rehab and the sacrifices he’d made at the expense of his family, in retirement Barry rediscovered the feeling that led him to a pro career in the first place. “When I finally put my leg back over my bike to ride with the local club, I realised what I’d missed most. I had forgotten the feeling of being on the wheel: the surge and the relief. Arriving home I felt lighter, cleaner, more focussed, more energetic and happier. I don’t need racing. I just need to ride.”
Barry’s love for the bike remains