Barnes remembered as a great competitor
Published:Wednesday | June 24, 2020 | 12:20 AM
Kay Moodie, mother of former Jamaican cyclist Robert Barnes, who died over the weekend, recalled his love for the sport at an early age.
“If I didn’t know better, he was born on a bicycle,” Moodie said yesterday. “He was riding since he was 14 years old and really loved it.”
Barnes passed away at his Barbican home due to unknown causes. Moodie said that he had complained of heart problems earlier. He was 54 years old.
The cyclist competed in various tournaments in the United States, specifically in Illinois, and represented Jamaica at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. He competed in the Mountain Bike event, which made its return to the Games after an eight-year hiatus, becoming the first cyclist from Jamaica to compete in the event.
While Moodie recalled her son’s pride in representing the nation, she also remembered his eagerness to compete at the Games, which led him to break cycling etiquette before race day.
“[He told] me he made a huge mistake the day before the race. He actually went out to the course,” Moodie said. “Because the riders who know better and probably know the terrain, they don’t do that the day before the big race, but he was so keen to put in a good performance. He was honoured to be there.”
LOVE FOR MUSIC
Cycling was just one of his pursuits, as Moodie also spoke of her son’s love for music. Barnes played guitar in a band with several colleagues and it was clear just how important this part of his life was to him.
“He took those (cycling, music) very seriously and paid a lot of attention, time and effort on both,” she said.
Barnes was also the grandson of Herbert Macdonald, former sports administrator, who played a major role in the construction of the National Stadium, which Moodie said Barnes was proud of.
“He felt that he had sport in his bones,” she said.
Although the family had to adjust to the restrictions that the local authorities had placed on the island because of the coronavirus pandemic, Moodie said that she was grateful for the opportunity to see her son more often than normal.
“I saw so much more of him because we were all in lockdown, so to speak, and he would come and visit quite often, and that was wonderful,” she said. “He was a really good son. He loved his family.”