Barson's biking goals are mountain high
Caledon's Shining Stars: Ashley Barson
By Jon Yaneff

Bolton's Ashley Barson (middle) was at the top of the pack at the Mountain Niking National Championship at Mt. Ste. Anne, Quebec in July, as she finished third and on the podium (pictured bottom right). After having a mountain to climb by having to recover from a split pancreas Barson hopes to come back strong for the 2009 season. As the top junior mountain biker in Ontario she advances from the junior expert category to elite status. Photos Submitted

Ashley Barson has a mountain to climb and with any luck, she'll be biking her way back to a podium appearance.

During her three years in the sport of mountain biking, the 18-year-old Bolton resident has been excelling competitively in the Ontario Cup circuit and for the past two years has been asked to ride on team Ontario at provincial and National competitions.

After placing third in the junior women's category at the Mountain Bike National Championship in July 19 at Mt. Ste. Anne, Que., she split her pancreas in half the next day on a casual ride.

The top junior mountain biker in Ontario immediately had her season come to an end and she remained in a Quebec hospital under bed rest for two months following a pancreas operation.

"It was tough and painful being in that situation," stated Barson, a Humberview Secondary School graduate.

But, her operation was a success and Barson has already started training by road riding at the Forest City Velodrome in London, Ont. For about a year mountain bike/road rider coach, Chris Helwig, of London, has been her guide as the coach for the provincial team.

Even though she missed two races after her injury, Barson still finished first a top the junior women's expert category. Her most impressive races during the summer had her finishing first at Bolar Mountain in London and second at Kelso Conservation Area in Milton. Because of her accolades, she qualified for carding status from the Ontario Cycling Association (OCA), which gives her funding for coaching, s well as team clothing for her provincial and National races.

Barson started biking because of her brother Chris, now 22, who races in senior expert category, and through support from her parents, Kathy and Craig. She has enjoyed cycling whether it's road riding, track or mountain biking.

"Biking is always fun and it's different every time," explained Barson. "With the trails and your environment, you never really know what's coming next."

When Barson's 2009 mountain biking season begins in the spring, she will advance to the elite category from the junior expert (categories range from sport, expert to elite). She will continue to train in the winter with training camps in March that are set up by the OCA, where she will be road riding in North Carolina, then she will be mountain biking in Arizona for a week in April.

Schedules for Barson's upcoming mountain biking season have not been released yet, but she said it will most likely start in Mansfield during the last weekend of April, and go to the end of September.

So, Barson's goals are mountain high. She would like to compete at a couple of World Cups and possibly the Olympics, as her mountain biking career races on.