By Allied Cycleworks CEO, Brendan Quirk
Where does our love for the sport of cycling take us? For Michael Barry, it led to a decade at the very top of professional road racing. After retirement, he dove headfirst into his family framebuilding business, Mariposa Bicycles, and to a continuation of his work as one of the most prolific writers in the peloton. We look back — and look ahead — with one of our favorite people.
AS YOU REFLECT ON YOUR LIFE IN BIKES, WHO ARE YOU — A BIKE RACER WHO LIKED TO WRITE, OR A WRITER WHO LIKED TO RACE BIKES?
A bike racer who liked to write. Cycling allowed me to see the world from a unique viewpoint which, in every respect was inspirational to my writing, as it allowed me to see and experience varied human perspectives and natural environments. I wanted to share that with others.
My grandfather lived in central Alberta, Canada and never traveled much as he had land, horses and cattle to care for, but he was an avid reader who knew more about most places in the world than those who traveled as a result. To many pro cycling is a foreign and closed world, and through writing, I wanted to give insight into that world and what goes on in a racer’s mind. And, on a personal note, writing a journal, allowed me to process my own thoughts and experience, and relax in the evening after a day of racing.
