A birthday, a breakaway and a family legacy: USA's Ashlin Barry strikes gold in Montréal
On roads where his mother won on a bike his grandfather built, the 19-year-old solos to the U23 world title
As Ashlin Barry powered up the finishing straight on Montréal's Avenue du Parc, he was riding toward Team USA's first U23 men's road world title.
Along the course, he had seen his friends, heard his family's cheering and even picked out the barking of his dog. What didn't quite register was that nobody was going to catch him.
"Disbelief. It's surreal," Barry said of crossing the line.
The Toronto-raised American, who rides for the Visma–Lease a Bike Development squad, celebrated his 19th birthday with a resounding victory at the UCI Road World Championships, after spending much of the race out in front.
The American had been part of a five-rider breakaway that formed early and spent more than 100 kilometres off the front. Then, with 30 kilometres remaining, Barry took off on his own.
"I didn't think I could follow the best guys on the climbs so I tried to find a way to get ahead," he explained.
At times, his advantage dropped down to a precarious 20 seconds, but Barry held off the chasers over Montréal's punishing climbs.
"I kept thinking I was going to get caught. I expected it, but somehow it never happened," he said.
With 200 metres remaining, his chasers were out of sight. Barry could finally sit up, stretch out his tall frame and enjoy the reception from fans pounding the barriers.
"It was just unreal being out there," he commented. "It really felt like a home race out there."
Héctor Álvarez of Spain outsprinted the remnants of the breakaway for silver, banging his handlebars in frustration, while Norway's Jesper Stiansen took bronze.
Today's gold medal is the young talent's second medal at the World Championships, following his silver medal in the Kigali time trial in 2025. Other accomplishments include several junior national titles, second-place finishes in the junior races at Paris–Roubaix and E3 Harelbeke, and a second overall in the World Omnium Championships on the track in 2024. When he signed with Visma–Lease a Bike, the team called him "one of the biggest talents of his generation."
But long before Barry chased a rainbow jersey in Montréal, his parents had written their own chapters on the roads around Mount Royal.
A family affair, three generations deep
Barry is the third generation of his family to build a life around cycling with Montréal playing a central role in each chapter.
His mother, Dede Demet-Barry (USA), is a former junior road world champion and the Olympic time-trial silver medallist from Athens 2004. She raced and won the Montréal World Cup on these roads in 2002 on a steel Mariposa bicycle built by her father-in-law, Mike Barry Sr.
His father, Michael Barry, represented Canada at three Olympics and raced all three Grand Tours during a professional career that included stints with US Postal, Discovery Channel and Team Sky. He rode his final professional road race at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal in 2012, with young Ashlin watching from the roadside.
"My first memory of cycling is watching my dad race these roads," Ashlin Barry said. "I've dreamed of racing on this course, too."
Fourteen years later, Barry got his chance, with his parents watching from the roadside. After crossing the line, he fell into their arms and thanked them for their support.
