'Just because I'm a big guy doesn't mean I can't climb' - Ashlin Barry’s U23 title boosts Van Aert and Van der Poel hopes

Ashlin Barry won the under-23 men's road race at the World Championships in Montréal, soloing to the rainbow jersey on the day he turned 19.

The Visma | Lease a Bike Development rider went clear with around 30 kilometres remaining after spending most of the 174.2-kilometre race in the day's break, finishing 53 seconds ahead of Héctor Álvarez. Jesper Stiansen took bronze on the same time as the Spaniard.

It is the first under-23 men's road world title for the United States, and comes four days after Barry finished fourth in the time trial on the same roads.

He had not expected to be racing for the win. Barry attacked early because he doubted he could follow the climbers over thirteen ascents of the Voie Camillien-Houde.

"To be honest, I just wanted to ride ahead of the race. I didn't think I'd be strong enough to follow the strongest guys on the climbs," Barry said in his post-race press conference, in quotes collected by IDL Procycling. "If I could get up the road, I'd get some space, and I'd still be able to go with the front later in the race. But once I was away, I just went for it. I didn't think it was possible until I reached the top of the final climb. Disbelief."

The circuit carries particular weight for his family. His father, the former professional Michael Barry, rode his final road race at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal in 2012, with his son watching from the roadside. His mother, Dede Demet-Barry, won on the same roads in 2002.

"It means the world to me. My first memory of watching a bike race was seeing my dad race here. I was maybe five or six years old," he said. "I didn't know what it involved then, but as I rode more I watched this race every year. I dreamed of racing on this course one day in front of a kind of home crowd. To then win the World Championships here goes beyond all my dreams."

Both parents offered advice on the course, though he suggests it only goes so far.

"They've both ridden this race a lot and could give me some tips. But to be honest, it's such a hard, heavy race that all the advice in the world won't just save you. You mainly have to be very strong in your own shoes. It was great to be able to talk it through with them anyway."

He also had support from closer to home in the crowd.

"I felt their support on the roadside. I even heard my dog barking."

Barry could not say how he managed the closing laps.

"To be honest, I don't know exactly. When I rode away I just tried to ride my own tempo, expecting riders to come up to me. I tried not to go over my limit or overdo it, but I kept pushing and eating and drinking as much as possible. I thought I'd get caught or blow up at some point, but somehow that never happened."

He rode much of the finale in an aerodynamic position, something he credits to a summer spent on the time trial bike.

"That makes a big difference, no doubt. I haven't done much work on my normal road bike, but over the past few months I've trained enormously on my time trial bike. I knew the time trial would be a big chance for me, so that was the focus in training. It definitely helped in the road race to stay efficient and save energy for the hills."

The result also revises his own view of what kind of rider he is.

"After today I know even less what type of rider I want to become. I've always preferred the classics, those are the races where I usually perform best. But we saw today that I go well uphill and can handle the hilly work."

Barry is 1.92 metres and 77 kilograms, and Álvarez is 1.90 metres and 74 kilograms. Two riders of that build filling the front of a race with 3,497 metres of climbing has changed how some people read Sunday's elite race on the same circuit.

"Just because I'm a big guy doesn't mean I can't climb," Barry said.

Remco Evenepoel had calculated after the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal twelve days ago that the average weight of the top ten was a little over 63 kilograms, and concluded the course sat somewhere between the Amstel Gold Race and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, favouring climbing puncheurs over heavier riders.

Belgian coach Serge Pauwels thinks Friday complicates that.

"If Friday's race teaches us anything, it is that Sunday's race will not be a copy of the GP of Montreal. This is a very different race, much more tactical. And so tough that the climbers didn't have a real punch left at the end to get away on the climbs," Pauwels said to Het Nieuwsblad. 

"But does that surprise me? No. I have always been convinced that anything can happen in this race. For the climbers, but also for the classics types. Think of it as a balance that can tip either way."

Mathieu van der Poel had made the same argument the day before the under-23 race.

"In a tough race, everyone's power drops off towards the end, allowing the classics types to get closer to the climbers. That is my strength, that I can still ride my wattage after a hard race," he said.

Pauwels was careful not to push it too far. The chasers behind Barry closed to within twenty seconds at one point, and the group that formed behind him was dominated by lighter riders.

"When it split, the same twelve or fourteen guys were always at the front. The rest could often catch up, but they were nothing more than dead weight," he said. "It confirms what I already thought beforehand. This is certainly not just a race for the very lightest riders."

Barry has signed with Visma | Lease a Bike through 2029 and has two more years of under-23 eligibility, though the rainbow jersey may accelerate the timeline.

"On paper I'd ride two more years with the under-23s, so we'll have to see what the team and my coach decide. I have every confidence in them," he said. 

"It would be very cool to ride as world champion or in the WorldTour and do the under-23 races next year, but I'd also like it if I could ride in the WorldTour already next year. At the same time, the team pursuit on the track remains a big goal, with the 2028 Olympics on the horizon."