Next rider up: Ashlin Barry 🇺🇸
Exclusive interview with the 17-year-old sensation who has joined Visma-Lease a Bike
He was one of the most sought-after riders on the transfer market last summer, and in 2025, Ashlin Barry will race for JEGG Skil DJR, the junior team collaborating with Team Visma-Lease a Bike.
Just 17 and yet to finish high school, Barry is considered one of the most talented and promising juniors on the world circuit, having won road and time trial national titles in the US and having picked up wins in Europe, too. A versatile rider, he has also tasted success on the track and in gravel and finished fifth in the junior road race at Worlds last season.
The rider’s path into the sport is well known to most, with his parents, Dede and Michael, both having competed at the very highest level of the sport in the 2000s. Now Ashlin is on his journey to potential greatness.
Part of the 258 Protégé management system that looks out for Cat Ferguson, Josh Tarling and Lorenzo Finn, Barry caught up with us for an exclusive interview just after his big move to Visma was confirmed.
The ‘Next Rider Up’ series focuses on young and exciting talent that’s come through the ranks in Europe and the US and is on the cusp of turning pro.
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DB: How did the move to Visma Lease a Bike come about?
AB: The team reached out to me midway through the summer. We had a few initial discussions, but nothing really came of it until after the World Championships. Then we had more serious conversations, and then I decided to join the team about a month ago. It all happened quite quickly. There was no urgency for me to leave the team that I was previously on, ONTO, which was sponsored by EF, but when I started discussions with Visma, I had a really good feeling with them. It was always a team that I looked up to and admired, so I was pretty happy when they reached out to me. When we started to discuss a bit more of a development plan, it just made sense to make the switch.
DB: When it came to the development plan, what were Visma pitching to you in terms of selling points?