By Michael Barry The group settles into formation meters after leaving the café. Like the table manners learned as children the formation is innate to us. Two abreast, tight against…
Michael Barry is a former professional cyclist, three-time Olympian, multiple Canadian National Champion, author of four books and is now an owner of Mariposa Bicycles.
Snow Ride
My math homework half completed and Bob Dylan on the turntable, I looked out the window as snow began to fall. First a few scattered flakes spotted the sky but,…
J.B. (Jock) Wadley & The Origins Of Randonneurs Ontario
By Mike Barry Recently, I attended the Randonneurs Ontario annual banquet and prize presentation. It was a great evening where we were able to get together with some old friends.…
Randonneur Bike September 2015
In the Mariposa Workshop we recently built a Randonneur bike for an old friend and customer from the U.S. He asked for a fully equipped bike and left much of…
SHADOWS ON THE ROAD – Prologue
The phone rang at the arranged time. The caller ID matched the number on the email. This was the call I had anticipated for nine years. One I knew would…
How It Feels To Train For The Tour De France (Esquire)
Guilt sunk in. My stomach was still full from the previous night’s feast. Sunlight pierced the gap between the window and the blind and irritated my eyes as they worked…
A Summer of Crits, Lemond and Gert-Jan Theunisse
We pulled up in the van mid-morning, as steel barriers were being put in place to close off the course. Some of us were half asleep, our necks kinked against…
Paris Roubaix.
Paris Roubaix is a race of unknowns. What the riders can’t control, what looms in their futures, haunts them until the pop of the starter’s pistol. In the days prior…
The Lead-Up
The protagonists who will animate the Tour of Flanders, Paris Roubaix, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, and the other Spring Classics will fine tune their fitness and test their legs in less prestigious races…
Building A Dream
A plate of half eaten nachos sat on the table, Doug leaned back and quoted W.P Kinsella’s book, Shoeless Joe, “If you build it, they will come.” It wasn’t the…
Rivals and Friends
Every winter, teams from all over the world travel to warmer climates to train for the coming races. For 10 to 14 days, the riders spend every hour of the…