September 8, 2005 – With the first rest day completed it means the Vuelta is approaching the final week. Discovery’s Michael Barry has been riding solidly, and his teammate Tom Danielson is poised for a good GC result, and possible jump in the overall, with a few key stages remaining. To ask Barry a question just email news@pedalmag.com.

Hi Michael,

Being on Discovery – one of the best teams in the world – do you find that other riders let you in the paceline more out of respect?
Thanks,

Hank Verhoeven
Toronto, ON

Hi Hank,

When racing with Lance, or when we have the overall leader of a race, we do get more respect and riders move out of the way and give us a little more room in the bunch. But, otherwise, it is business as usual and we don’t get any more or less respect in the peloton.

Thanks,
Michael


For more about Barry, including his latest book, “Inside the Postal Bus” visit www.michaelbarry.ca

September 3, 2005 – A stage win for Michael Barry’s teammate Max Van Heeswijk capped a “pretty sweet day” as Canada’s Michael Barry summed up, after finishing 21st at the Vuelta’s seventh stage yesterday. If you have a question for Barry about racing, training, or anything cycling-related, just send it to us at news@pedalmag.com.

Hi Michael,

How do you mentally prepare for a three-week Tour?

Heather
North Vancouver

Hi Heather,
I don’t look at the race as three weeks long; I break it into sections. This Vuelta my wife and son are coming to a few stages this week so that was the first section for me. Then we have the a few mountain stages and then the first rest day so that will be another section over. After that we have a second rest day and Dede will be coming back for the last days of the race. Also, we tend to take each stage as it comes – we have a plan for the whole race but never get ahead of ourselves as you never know what the day will bring. An easy day on paper could end up being incredibly hard due to wind, attacks and so on.

For three weeks, I pack a good book, a half dozen magazines, a laptop and an ipod full of good music.

Adios,
Michael

August 31, 2005 – Discovery’s Michael Barry is riding well after the first few days at the Vuelta. The first reader questions have been answered and now here’s round two. To ask Barry a question on the race, the team, training – or anything else bike-related, just email us at news@pedalmag.com.

Hi Michael,

Congrats on your son, Liam. What’s it like to have Dede and your son following you along? It must be strange to see Dede not racing, is she enjoying her retirement?

Sarah Wicks
Toronto, Ontario

Thanks Sarah. Dede is loving motherhood and has really enjoyed the last 10 months of retirement. She continued to ride her bike every couple of days through the pregnancy and felt that it made the birth easier. It is motivating knowing they are watching the race and I look forward to talking to them as soon as I cross the line.

Michael

Hi Mike,

What’s the mood of the peloton with the Lance Armstrong allegations? Are people talking about that in the pack?

Yann Kingsley

Hi Yann,

To be honest nobody is talking about it much at all. We all realize that the allegations carry no weight.

Thanks, Michael

Hello Michael,

Will you be riding with Discovery in 2006? If so, how will the team’s program change without Lance?

Martin Schulz
Frankfurt, Germany

Hi Martin,

Yes, I will be riding for Discovery again in 2006. Our race program will not change much at all without Lance but the way the team approaches the Tour will change a lot. The team will no longer go in as favorites for the overall victory and therefore won’t have to carry the weight of race on their shoulders. Otherwise we will be doing all the ProTour Races as well as the Grand Tours.

Cheers, Michael

August 30, 2005 – Discovery’s Michael Barry is riding well after the first few days of the Vuelta, and already we have the first few reader questions answered. To ask Barry a question on the race, the team, training – or anything else bike-related, just email us at news@pedalmag.com.

Hi Michael,

How is the heat affecting your racing? How do you manage to stay hydrated? Are you still losing water even if you are constantly drinking bottles? It is hard to drink enough when we are racing full speed as there simply isn’t any time to go back to the car and get bottles.

Frank Larousse Kingston, ON

MB: Thankfully, the heat has also slowed down the racing and we can get back to the car frequently enough to get cold bottles. The fluid in the bottles is like warm bath water within about 15 minutes in our bottle cages. I try and drink three bottles every hour. Each guy on the team takes a turn going back and getting drinks for the others. The bottles are filled with water or Powerade. When we finish we drink an electrolyte drink that has a good combo of potassium, magesium, sodium and calcium. We all have water beside our beds which we sip on through the night whenever we might wake up to go to the bathroom. We also weigh ourselves before and after each stage to ensure we aren’t losing too much water weight.

Hi Michael,

What’s it like having some of your buds (I’ve read your book “Inside the Postal Bus!”) in the race with you, like Chrsitian Vande Velde?

Irene Wells Vancouver, BC

MB: It is great knowing other guys in the race – Victor Hugo Pena, Julian Dean and other friends are also in the race. We spend many hours a day cruising along in the bunch or spending time in the same hotels and it is nice to chat with someone outside of the team and get a different perspective on things every now and then. Also, we all feel less homesick when we can chat with friends.

For more about Barry’s book “Inside the Postal Bus” visit www.michaelbarry.ca

August 28, 2005 – Canada’s Michael Barry is in his fourth Grand Tour of his career, and his second of 2005 – he did the Giro earlier in 2005. The Toronto-born rider rides for the Discovery team, which, not having a clear leader at the start of the Vuelta, means Barry may have room to try for some top stage results.

As part of our coverage, Michael will be answering questions from you, the readers, about training, racing, nutrition, bikes, whatever you can think of. So just email news@pedalmag.com with your question and Michael will get to them.