Washington
09 July 2008
Cycling has been part of Taylor Phinney's life for all of his 18years. The son of former road racer Davis Phinney and 1984 Olympicgold medalist Connie Carpenter-Phinney, Taylor - known affectionatelyas Mini Phinney - has taken track cycling by storm, qualifying for theU.S. Olympic team just six months after his first race in a velodrome.
TaylorPhinney must have cycling in his blood. His father Davis Phinney wasthe first American to win a stage of the Tour de France in 1986. Hismother, Connie Carpenter Phinney, was the road race gold medalist atthe 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Within his first year of competitivecycling, Taylor won 23 races. His first trip around a velodrome, usedfor cycling's track events, was in Colorado Springs, Colorado lastSeptember.
Phinney adapted to the 33-degree turns at theconcrete track, but stopping the fixed-gear bike with no brakes proveda little embarrassing. When he stopped the back wheel of his bike, hisfeet accidentally unclipped and he plunged onto the frame. He had toride in that awkward position for at least a lap until he could recover.
Therelatively flat Colorado track is nothing like the tight, steep, wooden250-meter indoor velodrome in Beijing. But Phinney, who just turned 18on June 27, has proven his youth and relative inexperience are not ahindrance to success. In January he earned an Olympic nomination inthe 4,000-meter individual pursuit race at the third round of theInternational Cycling Union's Track World Cup Classics series in LosAngeles.
His time of 4:25.684 earned him an automatic berth inthe Olympics. Not bad for a young man who just graduated high school. In March, he finished eighth in the individual pursuit at the WorldTrack Cycling Championships in Manchester, England. In June, Taylorset a new junior world record in the three-thousand meter individualpursuit race (3:16.589).
Some say his pedigree is the reason forhis success. Others say it is hard work that is the key. TaylorPhinney says that a typical day for him involves morning and afternoontraining, and of course time being a teenager.
"Regular trainingday, I usually wake up and ride maybe 30 minutes in the morning, juston a stationary [bike] trainer in my basement," said Taylor Phinney."You know, just playing video games or watching TV or whatever, justriding my bike. And then I will have some breakfast. And I still haveto go to school. And then after school I will come back from schooland I go on another ride from between one to three hours. So it reallydepends on the day. And after that I just come home and vedge out[relax] and recover."
Since Phinney does not live near avelodrome and had to finish high school this past year in Boulder,Colorado, he did much of his training at home on specially-designedrollers that simulate the speed of the track. But his success hastaken a back seat to his family - his father Davis Phinney had toundergo brain surgery April 4, eight years after being diagnosed withParkinson's syndrome, a degenerative disease that attacks the centralnervous system.
The former Tour de France stage winner now hasa pacemaker in his brain attached to a small controller in his chest. The device reduces the tremors that accompany Parkinson's. DavisPhinney's doctors say the therapy can turn the clock back five years. As a tribute to his dad, Taylor uses the same signal for victory - hisarms thrust skyward in a giant "V" shape - that his father did when hewon 328 races in an 18-year career.
Apart from his trainingand his father's battle with disease, Taylor Phinney sounds like anormal teenager. He says that he spends his free time with friends orjust relaxing at home.
"You know, I just like hanging out withfriends, whether it is playing video games or just, um, I have atrampoline I like to jump on, doing flips and tricks," he said. "Andyou. know just hanging out in general. It is nice; it is relaxing."
TaylorPhinney says his favorite Olympic moment is one that happened before hewas born - when his mother won her gold medal at the 1984 Olympics. Hesays he has seen the race on video. Taylor is under contract with TeamSlipstream. He hopes to expand his competition to road cycling, andSlipstream team leader Jonathan Vaughters has predicted a careersimilar to that of Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara, the reigningtime-trial world champion. Taylor Phinney's first step toward thatcareer comes at the Beijing Olympics.