Yanto Alexander Critchlow-Barker (born 6 January 1980) is a British former professional

racing cyclist Cycle sport is Competition, competitive physical activity using bicycles. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, and cycle speedway. Non-racing ...

from Wales, who was the highest placed Briton in the

2005 Tour of Britain The 2005 edition of the Tour of Britain stage race was run as a UCI 2.1 category in six stages starting in Glasgow on 30 August and finishing in London on 4 September: Stages Prelude ;29 August: Glasgow Mass participation ride followed by ...

, coming ninth in the

general classification The general classification (or the GC) in road bicycle racing is the category that tracks overall times for riders in multi-stage races. Each stage will have a stage winner, but the overall winner in the GC is the rider who has the fastest cumulati ...

Career

Born in

Carmarthen Carmarthen (, RP: ; cy, Caerfyrddin , "Merlin's fort" or "Sea-town fort") is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community in Wales, lying on the River Towy. north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. The population was 14,185 in 2011, ...

''MOTIVATION: Get your kit on'' BBC Wales
/ref> and despite starting racing late at the age of 15, joining the Mid-Devon Cycling Club, Barker was successful in the junior ranks (aged 16–18). Having won the Junior

British National Road Race Championships The British National Road Race Championships cover different categories of British road bicycle racing events, normally held annually. History Between 1943 and 1958, two separate bodies – the British League of Racing Cyclists The British ...

, he was selected to ride the Junior Road Race World Championships where he finished 11th.Interview with Shane Stokes, cyclingnews.com
21 September 2005 When Barker joined the senior ranks at the age of 19, he was selected to represent Britain as part of the National U23 team, and was paid. He moved to

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

to be closer to the track and the medical & coaching team. He competed in the Under-23 road races at the

UCI Road World Championships The UCI Road World Championships are the annual world championships for bicycle road racing organized by the (UCI). The UCI Road World Championships consist of events for road race and individual time trial, and a mixed team relay. Events ...

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

and

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

, taking his best finish in 2002 when he crossed the line in 12th place. By 2000, there was less money available for cyclists such as Barker and, following the advice of a coach, he moved to France at the age of 20 to gain experience of continental racing. He represented Wales at the

2006 Commonwealth Games The 2006 Commonwealth Games, officially the XVIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Melbourne 2006 (Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm 2006'' or ''Naarm 2006''), was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth held ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

He initially retired from professional cycling in 2007, returning to live in Devon but returned to cycling in 2010 to ride for the Pendragon Sports / Le Col / Colnago Team. Barker signed for for 2012.''Yanto's blog'' CyclingShorts.uk.com
/ref> In 2013, Barker won the inaugural edition of the UCS

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...

and Coastal GP when sprinting clear on an eight-man group containing Mike Northey and

Rob Partridge Robert Lloyd "Rob" Partridge (born 11 September 1985) is a Welsh former professional cyclist from Wrexham, Wales. He represented Wales in the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Inspired after watching the Tour de France on television, he joined the Wrexham ...

. It was announced in November 2013 that Barker had signed for for 2014. After one season with Raleigh Barker was announced as the leader of the new ONE Pro Cycling team for the 2015 season. In September 2016 Barker announced that he would retire at the end of the season.

Personal life

He lived in Wales as a child but later moved to

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

. He runs his own cycling clothing company called Le Col, which became a co-title sponsor of the

UCI Continental The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were introduced in 2005 by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to expand cycling around the world. The five circuits (representing the continents of Africa, the ...

team for 2019. Le Col has provided the cycling kit for

UCI WorldTeam A UCI WorldTeam (2015–present), previously UCI ProTeam (2005–2014), is the term used by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to name a cycling team of the highest category in professional road cycling, the UCI World Tour or UCI ProTour ...

since the start of the 2022 season.

Major results

;1998 : 1st MaillotReinoUnido

Road race, National Junior Road Championships : 2nd Road race, Welsh Road Championships ;2001 : 6th

La Côte Picarde La Côte Picarde was a professional cycling race held between 1986 and 2015 in Picardy, France. It was held as part of the UCI Europe Tour from 2005 onwards, in category 1.ncup, meaning it was part of the UCI Under 23 Nations' Cup The UCI Under ...

;2002 : 3rd

Grand Prix de la Ville de Lillers Grand Prix de la Ville de Lillers is a road bicycle race held annually near Lillers, a commune in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France. The editions 1964-1995 were reserved to amateurs. Since 2005, it is rated 1.2 on the UCI Europe Tour The ...

;2003 : 1st Overall Mavic Cup Series ::2nd Course La Ville : 1st Stage 1

Circuit des Mines The Circuit de Lorraine is a multi-stage road bicycle racing event held annually in Lorraine, France. Since 2005, it has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competi ...

: 9th Bordeaux–Saintes ;2004 : 1st Overall Mavic Cup Series ::5th GP Rougy : 1st GP Carelleur : 2nd Tour De France Compte : 3rd

Grand Prix des Marbriers The Grand Prix des Marbriers is a road bicycle race held annually in France. It is organized as a 1.2 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were introduced in 2005 by the ...

: 4th Overall Tour Nord-Isère : 10th Overall

Tour de Serbie Tour de Serbie is a road bicycle race held annually in Serbia. First held in 1939, since 2005 it has been ranked 2.2 on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were introduced in 2 ...

: 10th

Paris–Troyes Paris–Troyes is an annual single-day road bicycle race in France between Paris and Troyes. First held in 1959, since 2005 it has been a 1.2 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competiti ...

;2005 : 1st Overall Surrey 5-day : 2nd East Yorkshire Classic : 2nd Havant GP : 3rd Road race, National Road Championships : 3rd Round of the Surrey League, 'Eastway Classic'/'Taunton Criterium' : 4th Overall

Rás Tailteann Rás Tailteann (; "Tailteann Race"), often shortened to the Rás, is an annual international cycling stage race, held in Ireland. Traditionally held in May, the race returned after a hiatus in 2022 as 5 day event held in June. By naming the rac ...

: 6th

La Roue Tourangelle La Roue Tourangelle is a road bicycle race held annually in the Region Centre-Val de Loire, France. The editions 2002–2004 were reserved for amateurs; from 2005 until 2012, it was organized as a 1.2 event on the UCI Europe Tour; in 2013 it be ...

: 8th

Lincoln Grand Prix The Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix (formerly the Witham-Valley Grand Prix) is a road bicycle race that starts and finishes in Lincoln, England, Lincoln. The 2021 version was 166 km long. The race is characterised by its ascent of Michaelgate, an ico ...

: 9th Overall

Tour of Britain The Tour of Britain is a multi-stage cycling race, conducted on British roads, in which participants race across Great Britain to complete the race in the fastest time. The event dates back to the first British stage races held just after the S ...

: 10th

Hel van het Mergelland Volta Limburg Classic is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in late March or early April in Limburg, Netherlands. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road ...

;2009 : 3rd East Midlands Classic ;2010 : 3rd East Midlands Classic : 4th Overall Tour of Libya : 5th Dumfries Bike Fest Grand Prix : 10th GP Al Fatah ;2011 : 4th Hillingdon GP ;2012 : 5th

Rutland–Melton CiCLE Classic The Rutland–Melton International CiCLE Classic is a road bicycle race that starts in Oakham and finishes in Melton Mowbray. The 2008 version was 158 km long. The race is characterised by its off-road sections and short, sharp climbs on n ...

: 7th

;2013 :

Tour Series The Tour Series is an annual series of cycling criterium races held in the United Kingdom since 2009. It is televised by ITV4 in the UK. The competition emphasises team effort with individual wins deemed less important. The races are held over 1 ...

::1st Kirkcaldy & Stoke-on-Trent : 1st UCS Ipswich and Coastal GP : 3rd Perfs Pedal Race : 4th

: 9th Wales Open Criterium ;2014 : 1st Jersey red

Overall British Cycling Elite Road Series ::4th Ipswich and Coastal Grand Prix ::5th Circuit of the Fens ::7th Wales Open Criterium ::7th Leicester Castle Classic : 1st Overall British Cycling Spring Cup ::1st

::3rd Overall

Tour of the Reservoir The Tour of the Reservoir is a two-day road bicycle race around the Derwent Reservoir, Northumberland in the north of England, part of the British Premier Calendar The British Cycling Premier Calendar Road Race Series is a season-long compe ...

::5th Cycle Wiltshire Grand Prix : 1st Evesham Vale Road Race : 5th Jersey International Road Race ;2015 : 1st Perfs Pedal Race : 2nd Grand Prix of Wales : 2nd Cycle Wiltshire Grand Prix : 2nd Severn Bridge Road Race : 3rd

Beaumont Trophy The Beaumont Trophy is a cycle road race first run in 1952. The Trophy was presented to the Gosforth Road Club by Rex Beaumont who was a local cycle wholesaler on Tyneside. The Gosforth Road Club had been created in July 1951 as an offshoot of ...

: 4th Overall Totnes-Vire Stage Race : 10th Chorley Grand Prix ;2016 : 7th

Vuelta a La Rioja The Vuelta a La Rioja ( en, Tour of La Rioja) is a regional Spanish road bicycle race held in La Rioja. From 2005 to 2008, it was a 2.1 category race on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competi ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Barker, Yanto 1980 births Living people Commonwealth Games competitors for Wales Cyclists at the 2002 Commonwealth Games Cyclists at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Welsh male cyclists Sportspeople from Carmarthen