Michael Barry: Doper or not?

Michael Barry is perhaps one of the most revered riders around not only in the peloton but also amongst cycling fans. For professional riders he is liked as he is highly experienced rider who has spent most of his career faithfully supporting his various team leaders. Outside the peloton, fans admire him because of the way he talks about cycling and his exceptional writing style that really places the reader inside the peloton. His books ‘Inside the Postal Bus’ and ‘Le Meteir’ are riveting reads that are essential for cycling fans who want a more insightful view of what it is like to ride in the professional peloton. His website is full of fantastic blogs and great videos of him out riding. All these things made him a rider that I trusted and believed which, at the moment, is very few in the professional peloton. Then last year Floyd Landis had a change of heart and finally came clean and his revelations included that he had doped alongside Michael Barry.

His exact words in an email dated April 30^th to USA cycling President Steve Johnson were:

“While training for that Vuelta I spent a good deal of time training with Matthew White and Michael Barry and shared the testosterone and EPO that we had and discussed the use thereof while training.”

When the allegations leaked Michael Barry responded to them immediately and directly and stated that he had nothing to hide and is proud of being an athlete who competes without the use of any banned substance. Team Sky, to their credit, also were quick to react via Dave Brailsford restating the team ambitions to race clean and saying that Michael Barry had given them his side of the story and he was cleared to race unless Landis’ claims could be substantiated by facts.

After this exchange the furore over the allegations quickly died down and Barry went on to finish the Giro and ride the Tour de France in support of Bradley Wiggins. The Canadian Cycling Association ordered and independent body the Canadian Centre for Ethics to carry out an investigation into the matter but little has been heard since. I sent emails to both these organisations a week ago asking for an update on the investigation and have received nothing in return. So it may still be ongoing or it may not.

In Paul Kimmage’s mammoth long interview with Floyd Landis I was delighted to read that he asked him about the Barry acquisition. Below is the exchange in full:

P.K Okay, that’s fine. There is one last question. A lot of people were puzzled when you named Michael Barry in the emails and a month later, May 2010, he posted the following response on his website: I am shocked at the allegations from Floyd Landis.  A few years ago, I cycled the Vuelta a Espana race and trained two days prior to the Vuelta with him – one 6 hour ride and one two hour ride. I did not share or use any banned substances such as EPO when I was riding with him and am dismayed at his allegations. Landis is either lying or has mistaken me for someone else. Did you mistake him for someone else?
 F.L Nobody is more or less guilty than anyone else here but it’s time to tell the truth. I understand the difficulty and the risk in admitting to doping. I am in no place to judge because I denied it for years as well. Michael Barry is going to do what he feels he needs to in order to protect himself, but unfortunately in this instance his choice is to do what I did and lie. I hope for his sake that someday he can tell the truth and feel free.
 

What is clear from Kimmage’s wording of the question is that even he, the arch doping sceptic, is a little unsure of Landis accusations against Barry. Yet, Landis reiterates his previously stated stance that Michael Barry doped.

Many people in the cycling world are giving little to credence to anything Landis says at the moment due to his past history of lying. But if you read the whole interview you get a real sense of the man and the reasons why he doped and you do begin believe his argument that he has no reason to lie now about matters like these.

All this leaves the cycling fan in yet another tough predicament. Do I believe a rider who has been a credit to his sport, is extremely articulate, writes amazingly and clearly and has a love for the sport of cycling? Or do I believe a rider who has lied to millions to get money out of them and yet know seems to be willingly telling a lots of truths about his past and has little reason to lie anymore? It is these sorts of difficult questions that a cycling fan has to ask himself/herself regularly and they really start to erode my love of the sport.  If you cannot trust Michael Barry then which riders can you trust?

I am still undecided about Michael Barry as there are no facts yet to emerge to back up Landis allegations as the US Federal case on doping is still ongoing. Too many times cycling fans are very quick to rush to a conclusion.  All I wish is that when Michael Barry does have to give testify in front on a grand jury he is brave enough to tell the truth whatever that maybe and that he can live with himself afterwards.

I would love to hear other people's opinions on Barry so please feel free to post a comment below.

Kimmage, Landis & McQuaid

Paul Kimmage, Floyd Landis, McQuaid and Michael Barry

So I finally finished reading the full transcript of the Floyd Landis’ interview done by Paul Kimmage. It is worth a read but set aside a few hours to tackle it fully as it is rather long.

Paul Kimmage

When reading it you really get an appreciation of just how talented Paul Kimmage is at interviewing. His probing style and unique wording of questions really teases out the best answers from his interviewee. By the end of the piece you do feel sorry for Landis as you have gotten to know him better and understand the reasons behind his decisions. Will we have to wait five years to know the motives behind Contador’s actions at the Tour last year and his denials since?

There are so many things that you could pick apart and talk about in that interview but I just want to touch on two; Pat McQuaid and Michael Barry (will be in a later blog).

Pat McQuaid

Most cycling fans would agree that McQuaid and his inconsistent decisions are ruining our sport. I want to just quote two passages from the Landis/Kimmage email exchange which took place after the interview.

“Fuck! I hate this asshole. He announced my positive before I was notified and then requested my B sample be tested before I had a chance to decide (an unprecedented move by the UCI) and now he’s all over the map with his opinions. Not to mention it’s suspicious that he knows the timing of the verdict in a case which is completely removed from the UCI. What a joke” (Landis after McQuaid said there will be no Contador verdict until 2011)

“It’s the most beautiful sport in the world but it’s governed by ***ts who have turned it into a crock of shit. And it can’t be fixed.” (Kimmage in a later email to Landis urging him to leave the sport of Cycling)

I share both their opinions of Pat McQuaid. But unlike Kimmage I believe (maybe naively) that the sport can be fixed. However with McQuaid in charge of the UCI the sport has got itself in a position like Football is in with Sepp Blatter as the head of FIFA. 

Sepp Blatter

What many have stated before me is that the sport needs to somebody with no knowledge, love or history in the sport to take charge at the UCI and revolutionise the way the sport is run. I applaud but how can cycling fans help bring about the departure of the President of the UCI and have a greater say in the way sport is run. Otherwise we will left with McQuaid continually ruining everything great about this sport through his inconsistent actions and stupid and ill thought statements and actions such as the one below.

"Unfortunately a lot of the media these days are led by people whose opinion is not educated. Bloggers and so forth and journalists who write under pseudonyms on blogs. That leads to a lot of opinions but it's not correct or the facts. Come over and spend a day in the UCI office and see what your opinion is." (From cyclingnews article “McQuaid: There has never been corruption in the UCI)

The most incompetent man in the world? 

This made me so angry. Firstly his point about those in the media not being educated is disrespectful and arrogant. Secondly Pat, Bloggers and Journalists have opinions on the sport because they are fans of the sport and have views about how to make it better. Maybe you should listen to them for a change. Lastly I would love to take up your invitation of going to the UCI office and finally getting some insight into how the sport is run and have the chance to have a say in the future of the sport.

So all cycling fans who, like me, despise McQuaid and everything he stands for unite and try and force him and his like out of the UCI or failing that get behind the ASO and try and create a new fairer governing body for the sport. How is with me?