Your Ultimate Guide To Barbados

Barry Forde

Barry Forde was born in St. James, Barbados and attended the Foundation School in Christ Church. The oldest of three (3) children, Barry always had a passion for cycling as he got involved with bicycles at the tender age of 3. His desire for cycling grew and became quite evident by age 10 when he started racing. Age 16 saw him making his way into the record books as he held the title of BMX National Championship title of Barbados and had been crowned champion of the Match Sprint, the 1000 Kilometer and the Pursuit.

Cycling Dominance

With his father, Colin Forde, as his coach and keeping a narrow eye on his cycling progress, Barry has certainly grown from strenght to strength.

In 1992 he won the Caribbean BMX Championships.

In 1996 he won gold in both the Match Sprint and Keirin at the International Cycling Union’s World Small Country Championships held in Cuba.

In 1998 he won gold in the Match Sprint at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Venezuela.

1998 he won bronze in the Match Sprint at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Malaysia.

The next few years saw Barry's consistency as he  continued to positively impact cycling fans at a local and international level.

1999 at The Pan American Games in Canada

2000 and 2001 at the Pan American Cycling Championships in Colombia

2002 at Ecuador and the Commonwealth Games in Manchester.

2003 he won a medal at the World Track Cycling Championships, held in Stuttgart, Germany. A few weeks later Barry won two gold medals at the Pan American Games.

Barry is one of only five cyclists in the world to have broken the 10-second barrier in the Flying 200 metre event. His time of 9.902, set in Ecuador, has made him the second-fastest cyclist in the world.

Stripped of Medals

Barry became victim to an unfortunate event when his most recent medals were taken away as a result of the finding of ephedrine in his lab samples. Ephedrine is a banned substance that can be found in cold and cough medicine.

This finding was a shock to both Barry and the people of Barbados who are aware of where his convicions are at when it comes to drug usage.

His name is a household name in Barbados and is often time associated with this local cyclist who has justly earned a place, both locally and internationally in the hearts of those involved in the cycling fraternity.