"It’s always something special to win a championship jersey," Barry said. "I don’t think I’ve fully processed the result yet, but I really look forward to racing in the jersey and I hope to represent it well."

The young American delivered an outstanding weekend of racing, first securing the U23 national title on Saturday before backing it up with an impressive fourth-place finish in Sunday's elite men's road race against the country's top professional riders.

In the U23 championship race, the competition eventually came down to a two-rider sprint for the stars-and-stripes jersey. Barry emerged victorious to secure his first national road title and the right to wear the prestigious national champion's jersey for the next year.

Less than 24 hours later, he lined up again for the elite championship race. Once more, the race exploded on the climbs and Barry remained among the select group fighting for victory deep into the final stages. He ultimately crossed the line in fourth place after Quinn Simmons, Kevin Vermaerke and Larry Warbasse.

"Both races were really demanding. Not having teammates meant I needed to be patient and play my cards right, so I was happy with how I managed that. Both races eventually blew to pieces on the climbs. The U23 race was decided by a two-up sprint, and in the pro race I finished fourth after just losing sight of the podium battle on the final lap."

The national title marks another significant milestone in Barry's development and provides Team Visma | Lease a Bike Development with an early reason to celebrate as national championship week gets underway.