The Dirt on Barry Wicks

by Jason Gay

Photos discovered on Kona website.

 

Barry Wicks is tall. Like 6’4” at least. That makes the Oregon cyclocross star a shrimp next to his 6’5” teammate Ryan Trebon on the Kona cyclocross team. But Wicks still towers over most of the field in the United States, where he’s been a top domestic pro. Locals may have seen him win day two of last year’s Whitmore’s Super Cross in the Hamptons, but Wicks also competes extensively in Europe. He checked in with us from Japan, where he’s racing, because, as he cracked, “Apparently, I’m a big deal in Japan.” 

 

 

1. You recently wrote a great piece about cyclocross in Belgium for Velonews. Why’d you go over? Did you finally get tired of all the paparazzi constantly following the US cross scene?

 

Racing CX in Belgium was a way for me to see how the sport is done at the top level. The first time I went over, about three seasons ago, it was a huge eye opening experience for me. I though I was pretty hot shit winning in the US, but then I got over there and was just getting my ass handed to me, struggling to finish on the same lap as the leaders.

 

2. Give us a sense of how nuts cyclocross is over there. We imagine every race has three feet of snow, six feet of mud, riders have to wear beards of bees and are constantly pelted with bottles of Duvel.  

 

The race scene in Belgium, and Europe as a whole is a lot different from that in the US. Over there, the racing is taken way more seriously. I mean, these guys are like the NBA players in terms of star power and recognition. The fans are the same, they know cross, and follow it intricately, so they really know what is happening out there. The courses aren’t as epic as you would expect, but are way less maintained. In the US we end us usually racing on manicured grass and maybe a little bit of mud. Over there we are riding through farmers fields after they have harvested  them, and blown out pastures full of hoof holes and cow shit. It is not at all glamorous, and it is really, really difficult. I often was concerned about my bikes not actually surviving the beating they were taking over there. I mean, people worry about their expensive carbon wheels racing in the states, but over there, I was hitting rim like 4 or 5 times a lap and was just happy that my wheels were still attached to my bike. 

 

 

3. Are Euro pros like Sven Nys and Lars Boom truly rock stars over there? Like, bigger than the guys from Ace of Base?

 

The respect the Big name riders have over there is pretty earned. Those guys truly are on a whole different level, but they aren’t really “rock stars” The level of access fans have to the riders is so great that people become more like an extended family to the riders. These guys have fan clubs that travel around to all the races on big buses and wear the supporter jackets and all that and get plastered in the pubs after the race, either in celebration or defeat, depending on the day. Guys like Wellens and Nys may have like 3000 people in their fan club at the race though, so that turns into a pretty big extended family when they all show up.

 

4. In your Velonews diary you mentioned Sven Nys’ trailer. Have you seen inside? Is there shag carpeting?

 

All the big guys roll in their own RV’s to the races. It is way easier to get ready when you have a big RV with a bathroom and living area in it, than out of the back of a mini van, especially when it is 3 degrees outside and raining. They also carry about 4-5 bikes in there, and maybe 20-30 different sets of wheels with different tire combos for any condition you could imagine. It was interesting to see the tire choices they would make. We would line up and have on Mud tires, and you look at the front row and they all have file treads on and you are thinking “WTF?” but I guess they know what they are doing because they are kicking my ass. 

 

5. How is the Wicks trailer situation?

 

We had a sprinter van that had a wall separating the seats in the front from the back cargo area, and after all the bikes were taken out of there we would set up some folding chairs and smash like 4 or 5 guys back there, all pinning numbers and trying to stay warm. We had a little propane heater going, and if we didn’t open the door every few minutes it got pretty hard to breath in there.  It was pure luxury all the way.

 

6. How is a guy like you treated by the fans over there?

 

The fans were pretty cool. At first they are skeptical of you, give you a good looking over and make sure you are legit, but after a few races of finishing on the same lap as the bug guys, and showing that you may have a little something special they start to give you some love. After a few seasons they start to recognize you and come get trading cards and take pictures of you and all that. We never made it remotely close to the Nys fan club, but Tonkin did get a bit of a following for running the beard and hairy legs and actually acknowledging the crowd a bit. 

 

7. How would you rate the competition in Belgium versus what you see at US races?

 

I guess it would be like the US is D3 and Belgium is the NBA. The top guys from the US are lucky to even finish the race, and the top Belgians are making the big bucks and getting all the cheerleaders. Except they are Belgian cheerleaders, so we don’t really care. 

 

 

8. Have you been flashed in the woods during a Belgian race? Or do they just do that kind of thing in Portland?

 

Most of the nakedness I have seen in the US comes from the Portland area for sure, but I have wafted through some dank in the woods in northern Belgium. For the most part though, the drunken rowdy fans are old men, and I don’t want to see their fat white asses any time soon.

 

9. Speaking of Portland, here on the East Coast, we’re a bit insecure about that West Coast cross scene…..the handmade Vanillas with Edge wheels, the novel-writing baristas with long, flowing beards, etc….do you Oregonians really have the world figured out? 

 

I think the Oregon is finally catching up to the East Coast in terms of pretentiousness, but we just do it our own way. I mean, hand made bicycles and novel writing baristas are way more Emo than sweater wearing frat boys from Jersey, so I guess we are the new preppy.

 

10. You also wrote in your diary about working in a winery, Pelican Ranch. Do you do intervals in the grape barrels?

 

Winery work is hard. Try moving 2 tons of wine grapes by hand with a pitch fork, then dumping all the used up skins and stems in to a dumpster with out the help of any sort of mechanical assistance. Winery work is why I am so ripped.

 

10. We read somewhere that success in cross is 30 percent start, 20 percent dismounts/remounts, 30 percent endurance, and 170 percent being able to avoid throwing up last night’s Tex-Mex. How do you break down success in a race?

 

Success for me can be measured in terms of the number of moments during a race where I am contemplating my existence. 1-2 times equals a medium race, 3-4 times equals a hard race, and if it is happening the majority of the time, I am in Belgium and it sucks. 

 

11. For the cross weekend warrior looking for a midweek regimen, what are one or two things to practice.

 

Pedaling hard and not giving up

 

 

12. Running: Overrated? Discuss. 

 

There is no running in cross races in the US. The only time you get off your bike is when there are some oddly placed barriers or the race is over. In Belgium, you run a lot more, because the mud get so thick you cant physically ride though it, or your weak American legs can’t anyways, or the sand is so deep Nys could build a sand castle and still beat you

.

 

13. Cross freaks try not to make a big deal about equipment – that’s best left to fussy road racers. But in your experience what are the couple of things you should lay out the $$$ for?

 

Good cross tubulars and brakes that give you lots of mud clearance. Nothing else really matters.

 

14. Better question: what’s a total waste of money?

 

Stuff that looks cool but makes you look stupid when you get lapped while using it. And top mount levers.

 

15. What are your goals for the rest of the year?

 

Try and win a race in mid December

 

16. Here in the US cross seems to have a very loyal, rabid following, and there are a bunch of races that get big turnouts. But then there are times like last September, when you, Ryan Trebon and Edward Vervecken raced in Southhampton before a studio audience of, like, 40 people, and 11 seagulls. No offense to Southhampton – it’s a great event and they work very hard to put it on – but is that weird?

 

Yeah, it is pretty odd, but that’s how it goes sometimes. Spectators are nice, but if the top guys are there racing, it is still a race. If I win the world champs and no one is there to see it, did I still win? Yes I did.

 

17. There are some lunatics organizing a cyclocross race here in NYC – Staten Island – at the end of the month. Give them some free advice.

 

Give me $10 and a handful of chalk and I can put on a CX race. Focus on making a good atmosphere and making sure everyone is stoked and you will have great success.

 

18. Last question: How do Contador and Leipheimer feel about your returning to Astana, and will they ride for you on Ventoux?

 

Those guys are my bitches