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2010 Season: A Look Back
My 2010 season is in the books and now that it has been fully digested perhaps this would be a good time for a look back. My 2009 season was a bit ill-defined and saw me focusing on the road for the first half of the year before realizing the track is where my strengths truly lie. I moved back to the track late in the summer and experienced some very encouraging results, particularly in Europe. As a result I knew that in 2010 I needed to focus primarily on the track and try to have a consistent year. My winter kicked off very late due to winter track racing plans, and I ultimately ended up taking my “off-season” in late January. It was very brief, and soon enough I found myself back on the bike looking ahead to the spring. After a few weeks of conditioning I packed my bags and headed off to southern California in mid-February. There I was blessed to stay with a family who welcomed me into their home and supported me with everything I could ask for to succeed. ^Above: Racing on the track in March at the Home Depot Center Velodrome in Los Angeles (photo courtesy Pat Benson) Training went very well and after 6 weeks and with good form I flew out to the small Caribbean nation of Trinidad & Tobago to compete. I wanted to make a strong statement right from the gun, and in this I was successful, landing on the podium on my first night of racing. I would stay there for another 5 weeks, racing the 3-day Easter Grand Prix before undertaking the 10-day Beacon Cycling Classic with 7 days of criteriums and track racing. Racing was tough with some of the very best riders in the world taking part, and it was made more difficult since I was riding alone against 8+ man teams as well as multi-team combines. Nonetheless I gave my best under trying circumstances and came away with some good performances as well as the respect of some of the best riders in the world. ^Above: Before the opening night criterium in Trinidad. On my right is 5x world champion, Franco Marvulli, to my left is Roberto Chiappa, also a world champion, and next to him is hometown hero, Emile Abraham, Pan Am Games medalist and 9-time T&T national champion. Five weeks in Trinidad and three months away from home saw me very happy to be home at last in New York in early May. I tried to take some time off, but with spring in full bloom and the racing calendar heating up, I was anxious to take advantage of the fitness I had gained. As a result I probably rushed back into serious training and racing too soon. I felt a bit flat and had some bad crashes and injuries that really hindered me as May turned to June. I kept pushing, though, excited for pro racing to begin on the track in Trexlertown in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley. Ultimately I had some good rides in June on the track, but my body wasn’t responding well to the fatigue and in order to race well on Fridays I had to virtually shut my body down on Wednesday, then open it back up on Thursday and hope for the best. This worked for a few weeks but it was only a temporary solution. At the end of June I traveled out to Detroit with my madison partner to race in Detroit’s UIV 3-Day Madison over Independence Day weekend. We stayed with a wonderful host family in Rochester Hills and I was able to rest during the week leading up to it, and my form and motivation began to return. We took a pretty dominant victory after three days of racing, but it was a lot tougher than it looked and I think what made the difference was the fact that we are good friends off the bike and consequently we fight that much harder so as not to let each other down. On the final day we were really hurting although we didn't let anyone see this. Definitely have to give a lot of credit to Powerbar's Power Gels for helping us make it through to the end to grab the win! ^Above: A very satisfying win at the Detroit 3-Day with madison partner, Nik Reinert Please stay tuned for my next entry on the second half of my 2010 season, and as always thanks for stopping by! Barry
Pennsylvania, United States
Cycling, Athletes/Active Lifestyle
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