"I hadn’t expected it to be possible" - Visma youngster becomes world champion on the day of his 19th birthday!
Cycling
There will be one birthday party bigger than any other in Montréal this evening. Ashlin Barry turns 19 today, and gave himself the best possible gift - a rainbow jersey! The American rider completed an epic 30-kilometer solo after the entire day in breakaway, and now gets to enjoy many celebrations.
The 174-kilometer under-23 road race at the 2026 World Championships got underway in a rather leisurely pace which was dictated above all by outsider attacks. But after three laps, a five-rider group - Ashlin Barry, Kristian Egholm (Denmark), Samuel Novák (Slovakia), Matthew Dodd (Great Britain), and William Heffernan (Australia) - departed from peloton which eventually managed to reel back in only four them.
"It’s incredible, I can’t believe it," he initially searches for the right words in a quick interview at the finish line. "I don’t know how I did it. To be honest, I wanted to get ahead of the favorites. I didn’t think I was strong enough to keep up. If you have a bit of a lead, you can ride up the climbs more at your own pace."
Caught peloton off-guard
The escaped group worked together well for over 70 kilometers but with four laps left it finally fell apart and only Barry and Egholm were left at the front. Soon, it became clear that the American had more left and dropped the Dane as well.
"Once I was in the lead, I just went for it. I only really believed in it after the final pass over the climb," Barry says, referring to the tough Côte Camillien-Houde (1.8 km at 8%).
"I really can’t believe it. I actually expected to lose time on the climbs, but I rode at my own pace. Luckily, I had strong riders with me in the breakaway. I gave it my all in the last two laps."
Through all this, it appeared that the peloton featuring all big favourites had situation perfectly under control. But once Barry became lonely at the front, he revealed the power he's been hiding thus far, and never let the biggest names of under-23 peloton reach closer to him than 25 seconds.
And once the gap remained consistent even over the last ascent of Côte Camillien-Houde, Barry knew he had the victory in the bag. He could even afford to smile at the camera moto in the last 5 kilometers...
Pre-race favourites Aubin Sparfel or Héctor Álvarez were left to fight only for a silver medal and a spot by Barry's side on the podium. Eventually, Álvarez won the sprint for second place. Norwegian who will turn professional with Tudor Pro Cycling next year Jesper Stiansen completed the podium.
"I didn't think it was possible..."
"It was certainly the goal to become world champion, although I hadn’t expected it to be possible. A medal, that was perhaps the highest achievable. To win here, on this tough course… It is incredible."
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"I have to thank so many people. It was truly unreal to ride around here today, with so many friends and family on the sidelines. I even heard my dog barking! I am hugely grateful for all the support."
It's unclear whether Barry has any further starts in his plans for 2026. It would be nice to show off the new rainbow jersey before the season ends, but the Visma | Lease a Bike Development Team just as well deserves to throw a large party for the double-celebration as he turns 19 as the best under-23 rider in the world.

Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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