Michael Barry on the Rider Protest

by Hons on May 20, 2009 1:58 PM EDT

No Basso waffle here. Barry doesn't mince words. In fact, his is the most candid account I've heard so far

On Sunday, in Milan, the peloton uniformly decided the course was too dangerous for a race. We were scared...the course was designed to show the historic sites in Milan with little thought put into the safety of the course.

For our decision to parade through the first hours of the race, cautiously riding through the streets, we were called, “lazy” by the media, organizations and directors. How easy it is to make decisions that affect our lives from a car seat, behind a television or a grandstand. I thought of my boys at home, my wife and parents and prayed I didn’t have to take the risks the organization and teams were asking of us. Riders have died in races I have ridden; not because of the risks they took but because of courses that didn’t protect the cyclists.

Cycling is a spectacle that doesn’t need to become a circus to draw attention. And, when a race decides to increase the dangers to draw interest, we need to decide whether we are athletes or clowns.

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Didn't see this when I posted mine below...

Deleting…

And yeah, that last line you quote sums it up perfectly.

by Ed K on May 20, 2009 2:21 PM EDT reply actions

the man

speaks the truth, as usual.

'you want to say your feelings and if you let your emotions pour out it shows how much the sport means to you. and cycling means everything to me.'- mark cavendish

by Ben Shave on May 20, 2009 2:53 PM EDT reply actions

thx for link

formerly known as cyclingchallenge

by Willj on May 20, 2009 2:58 PM EDT reply actions

If Barry says it , I believe it.

by Jens on May 20, 2009 3:02 PM EDT reply actions

He's Canadian

and every knows that Canadians are incapable of lying.

"Never swing a small stick. " Andy Hampsten

by Hons on May 20, 2009 3:06 PM EDT up reply actions

I am 10 feet tall ! ;)

formerly known as cyclingchallenge

by Willj on May 20, 2009 3:07 PM EDT up reply actions

Ex-pats don't count

;)

"Never swing a small stick. " Andy Hampsten

by Hons on May 20, 2009 3:19 PM EDT up reply actions

Write that you hate poutine

it’s a test to see if you can lie

More Muur...

by Jimbo... on May 20, 2009 4:11 PM EDT up reply actions

oh shoot I truly do hate poutine

by lyne on May 20, 2009 6:29 PM EDT up reply actions

Either you are not Canadian, or you are a liar

which is it, Lyne?

More Muur...

by Jimbo... on May 20, 2009 7:30 PM EDT up reply actions

and bad at typing

“everyone”

"Never swing a small stick. " Andy Hampsten

by Hons on May 20, 2009 3:19 PM EDT up reply actions

Yea, where are all the tifosi that were throwing out insults at the riders now?

by sminer on May 20, 2009 3:45 PM EDT reply actions

They were safe enough going full speed the last two laps

I liked the idea of the Milan stage, it was a chance for the fast, flat guys to get the sort of time gaps that usually only the climbers and TT men can, a chance to demonstrate other skills. GC contenders don’t have an absolute god-given right to come in with the bunch on the flat stages. Are we going to start seeing time differences eliminated in the mountains and in TTs because some riders find it painful going as fast as others.

by Monty. on May 20, 2009 4:51 PM EDT reply actions

several laps at slower speed

help you sort out the locations of the should have been towed parked cars and understand the layout of the other unprotected, should have been protected, obstacles.

Liking the idea of this stage is one thing; seeing the idea poorly executed is what I believe we saw.

by souvenir on May 20, 2009 5:10 PM EDT up reply actions

pLUS

there were only 50 guys left in the bunch.

by R Mc on May 20, 2009 5:34 PM EDT up reply actions

Do that, crank up the speed slowly and no-one's the wiser

at least put a show on for the fans. But don’t expect to ride around half-assedly chatting to your mates and not get booed. The riders know that you don’t behave like that even at one of those showpiece post-Tour crits even where everyone knows from the start that Carlos Sastre is going to outsprint Boonen in the finale. There’s a difference between taking it safe and treating the public like shit. If you’ve got the time to look round tell jokes and plan a rebellion, then you can’t feel that unsafe.

by Monty. on May 20, 2009 5:38 PM EDT up reply actions

I think I'd prefer that racers stay athletes dedicated to their sport.

There is an option if you want “athletes” dedicated to entertainment and that would be professional wrestling. They could all attend a production meeting before their" race" so they could decide who would hurl themselves off a mountain and where the camera should be positioned for maximum coverage. And how many guys will otherwise crash themselves for our entertainment will be decided at the meeting too along with deciding who will win because the race promoter wants maximum punch for his bucks. Maybe Vince McMahon is available and he could lead the way into this new world where money is king and the athletes are disposable, oh wait, I guess that’s not so different from what we have now without a real rider’s union. Go figure.

I'm not Bob Dylan but I never miss a beat.
I ain't no philosopher, I dance in the street.

by flying dog on May 20, 2009 7:01 PM EDT up reply actions

Cycling has a long, dishonourable tradition of race fixing

Binda was paid not to defend his title in 1930, Anquetil bought and sold races everywhere, Hinault and Lemond traded Tours, the local favourite always wins the 6-day races in the last sprint, and no-one has properly explained why Quickstep started pulling the peloton along in the Cali mountains this year. I don’t always like it but it happens. Even so they expect the buyer to fight for his win, not just have it gifted. And that is very different from sitting up because it looks too hard.

by Monty. on May 21, 2009 8:26 AM EDT up reply actions