Michael Barry and his wife, Dede, are now the proud parents of recent arrival, Liam, the couple’s first child.

The cycling pair decided to have the baby in Spain, in part to allow Michael to remain in Europe to train and race, but also because they pleasantly discovered the Spanish national health system was quite a bit more affordable than back in the United States.

With mother and son doing fine, Barry returned to racing at the recent Clásica San Sebastián. The Canadian was part of the day’s main breakaway, earning the event’s points jersey along the way.

Barry will part of the Discovery Channel team for the 2005 Vuelta a España, set to begin Saturday in sunny Granada. Barry hopes to have a solid Vuelta to complement his fine 2005 season, which included a strong performance in the Giro d’Italia in May and his first European victory during the Tour of Austria in July.

VeloNews European correspondent Andrew Hood talked with Barry about fatherhood, bike racing and the rest of the season. Here are excerpts from the interview:

VeloNews: You had a strong Clásica. Was that a planned attack?Michael Barry: The plan going into the race was to have Stijn (Devolder) and me to get into the breakaways. So I was able to follow a few of the breaks on the first climb. By the second climb, it stayed away.

VN: You’ve had a break from racing, were you satisfied with your form?MB: I’ve been able to get in some good training. I’ve had a good solid five weeks of training since Austria. Obviously, we had a baby in between as well. I felt good. I hadn’t raced in a long time, so I didn’t know how my race fitness would be. I felt good.

VN: You won a stage in the Tour of Austria, tell us about that?MB: We ran into some bad conditions in Austria. It was raining in the valleys and snowing in the mountains at the higher altitudes. Tom (Danielson), Pat (McCartney) and I were riding well. The team was good. Tom did a great time trial, he was second. It was his first race after the Giro and his knee injury. The stage I won, they shortened because we couldn’t go over the mountain because of the weather. It started going downhill and it kind of opened up. Then the attacks started and I got away with another guy. My legs felt good. With 20km to go, we stayed away and I beat him in the sprint.

VN: That’s your first win in Europe, that must have been satisfying?MB: It was definitely nice. It’s been a long time, so it’s nice to win because you do all these all year and you never get the opportunity.

VN: Was it hard to stay focused with the baby on the way?MB: After Austria, I took a planned break. I took my cell phone with me every time I was training. Every time it rang, I jumped. I would go out on training rides sometimes for 6-7 hours, but I never got too far away. I spent the last five to six weeks with Dede. It was really nice. We could go to the beach and relax together. I wasn’t traveling like I normally do.

VN: Does it motivate you more now that you have an extra mouth to feed?MB: My major focus has been on having the baby. It’s really motivating. Just thinking about the baby coming along really changed me. It changes your perspective in every way. I think it’s been really motivating for me. Everyone told me you’re going to have light legs when you have a child, and it’s true. We often stress about the little things as a professional bike racer. You focus on the big picture a lot more. You realize your child is the most important thing.

VN: How had your child affected your racing?MB: It’s a really positive thing. I’ve spent a lot of time with George Hincapie and his wife and child. He seems a lot happier, more mature since he’s had his daughter. It’s great for his cycling. I think a lot of his successes can be contributed to his child.

VN: Will you race the world championships?MB: The Canadians only have one spot, so I’m not sure. I’d like to do it. I’ve always liked doing the worlds.

---

The Barrys – both Michael and Dede – will be sending diaries to VeloNews.com throughout this year’s Vuelta a España. While we have extended an offer to Liam, he has yet to respond. - Editor