Road Cycling

Bio

Cycling runs in Taylor Phinney’s family.

Just six months after making his track debut, the 17-year-old prodigy from an American cycling dynasty is off to the Beijing Olympics.

The son of American road star Davis Phinney and 1984 Olympic gold medalist Connie Carpenter-Phinney was quick to express his disappointment after clocking 4:22.358 in the individual pursuit at the world track championships.

Especially considering that Phinney would have been found only on a soccer pitch two years ago.

That changed with an inspirational trip in 2005 to the Tour de France, where his father became the first American to win a stage in 1986. Within his first year of competitive cycling, he won 23 races. Since then, he has already set the sport alight.

TP is a two time World Champion on the track in the Individual Pursuit (2009,2010). He also has won a silver medal in the Kilometer event and a bronze medal in the Omnium event at the World Championships.

(He finished a personally disappointing 7th place in 2008 Olympics in the Pursuit, with his goals firmly fixed on winning the event in 2012 – it was removed from the Olympic program in late 2009)

TP won the U-23 Individual Time Trial in 2010 and finished 3rd in the 2010 U23 Road Race. He is also a two time winner of the U23 version of Paris-Roubaix.

The Oakley charger currently races on the BMC Pro Racing Team.