Taylor Phinney Interview: Never Say Never! All that could be heard was the mumbling of the hundred or so riders and spectators at the morning session of Day One of the 2009 Copenhagen World Cup. On the track was promising American youngster Taylor Phinney, riding his qualifying time for the Individual Pursuit. As he neared the end of his ride, everyone’s attention turned to the scoreboard which was showing Phinney’s incredible time. The young American was set to make history if he continued to stick to his schedule in the final kilometre. A few moments later he had finished the second fastest (in a UCI legal position) 4km Individual Pursuit of all time, recording 4m 15.223s. After recently joining Lance Armstrong’s u23 Development Squad everybody had been talking about how incredible Taylor was going to be, but with this ride they stopped talking in the future tense because Phinney had hit the big time!  Taylor's Trek-Livestrong U23 Development Team Just over a month later he backed up his amazing ride in Copenhagen with the World Championship title in Pruzskow, Poland, and edging closer to Bradley Wiggins’ Olympic Record of 4m 15.031s when he recorded a time of 4m 15.160s. To take a Senior World title so young (Phinney was 18 at the time) is an incredible achievement, but if you look back over his career as a junior it is no surprise he had such an impact on the pro ranks. In only his second year as a cyclist Phinney became the Junior World Time Trial Champion on the road in Aguascalientes, Mexico and US Elite National 4km Pursuit Champion. Things got even better in 2008 as he claimed the Junior Individual Pursuit World Title and Bronze in the Road Time Trial. Despite still being only seventeen, Phinney set his sights on the 2008 Beijing Olympics where he finished a credible seventh and in the process gaining valuable experience for the future. When you consider the fact that Phinney’s parents are former Pro cyclist Davis Phinney and former Olympic gold medal winner and speed skater Connie Carpenter-Phinney it is not surprise that he has the talent required to become World Champion. Unfortunately Taylor’s father has been suffering with Parkinson’s disease since 2000 so the past ten years have obviously been very difficult for him and his family.  “We are all very close because of it. It also gives me extra motivation on the bike, knowing I have something more to ride for than just money and fame. Everyday I ride in honour of my Dad who would still be riding as hard as I do if his body would allow him to” You can find out more about the Davis Phinney Foundation here - www.davisphinneyfoundation.org Riding for the Trek-Livestrong Phinney is also representing Lance Armstrong’s Cancer Foundation and helping to fight the battle against a disease that ravages millions across the globe “To not just be a soldier but a leader in the fight gives me so much purpose when I go out and race. Too many people are too caught up in their own worlds to step back and look at what they have, so luckily not only what I have, but what I do for a living can inspire many to fight this disease that has taken so many loved ones away from us, including my Grandfather Damon Phinney.” You can find out more about the Lance Armstrong Foundation here - www.livestrong.com  As part of Lance’s development team he is in the much sought after position of having Armstrong as his mentor, which can only be of benefit to the young American as he looks towards his future in the sport “If you are a bike racer and you don’t idolize Lance at least a little bit, then you are lying to yourself. The man has achieved so much in his life, helped so many people and brought an incredible attention to this sport we all love so much. He is not only my mentor, but my friend and I really couldn’t ask for more as a young aspiring cyclist to be involved with such a great influence.” Looking forward towards the forthcoming Copenhagen World Championships, Phinney has just announced that he will attempt to defend his title. With the already Pursuit friendly track getting a sanding in preparation for the event it is possible that we will see Chris Boardman’s 4m 11 World Record fall. Second place in last year’s Worlds, Jack Bobridge of Australia, has already ridden faster than Wiggins’ Olympic record when he dominated the Australian National Pursuit Championship with a time of 4m 14.427s. Bobridge wasn’t even peaking for the National Championships so if all goes well in Copenhagen he is capable of producing a faster time but it remains to be seen how fast Phinney can ride. “Luckily, the Individual Pursuit is a race where the best man on the day wins. So all I have to do is be faster on the day, I think we will see a sub 4:14 ride in Copenhagen. With regards to Boardman’s record, all I can say is never say never” Another favourite for the World Title and possible World Record contender is Great Britain’s Geraint Thomas however unfortunately he is scheduled to be riding the Spring Classics for Team Sky so it looks like the World title will be a straight fight between Phinney and Bobridge. “Geraint, in my eyes, is the fastest man in the world right now, so it is too bad he will not be in Denmark” With Bobridge and Phinney both under 21, it all bodes well for the future of the sport, even though the Pursuit has been controversially dropped from the Olympics by the UCI.  Taylor Dominated the 2009 US Track Nationals As you most probably already know, at the end of 2009 the UCI announced a new Olympic format that involved the Individual Pursuit, Points Race and Madison being dropped in favour of a new Omnium event. This new event includes a Flying lap (250-metre time trial), Points race (men: 30 km, women: 20 km), Individual pursuit (men: 4 km, women: 3 km), Scratch race (men: 15 km, women: 10 km), Kilometre time trial (men), 500-metre time trial (women) and Elimination race (24 starters). The flying lap is not completely new, as a flying 200 metres is traditionally used for qualification in the individual sprint. However, the distance of 250 metres is an innovation. The points race will be run over the same distance as at World Cup meetings whereas the scratch race, a new addition to the Olympic scene as part of the omnium, will be run over longer distances than previously, equivalent to traditional scratch race distances. 24 riders will compete in an elimination race. Every two laps, the last rider over the finish line will be eliminated. The Kilometre TT (500m for women) makes a return to the Olympics after it was dropped for Beijing, however as part of the Omnium it will be an event that Endurance riders do not normally enter. Luckily for Phinney does ride the Kilo and his Silver Medal behind German Stefan Nimke at the 2009 World Championships demonstrate that if he decided to ride the Olympic Omnium he will be one of the favourite. The individual pursuit, one of the iconic endurance specialities, will maintain its traditional distances. Although this means the Individual Pursuit will still be in the Olympics it has been rendered pointless by the UCI as the winning rider will not become Olympic Individual Pursuit champion, one of the most coverted titles in Olympic Track Cycling history.  Phinney with his mentor Lance Armstrong Pursuit specialists such as Phinney have had to make the difficult decision of whether to change focus and train for the Omnium for the Olympics or just go for World Titles in the Pursuit whilst concentrating on their Road careers. “While I enjoy racing on the track, racing on the road is where my heart lies. Now that the Individual Pursuit is no longer an Olympic event, I may make the transition over to the road sooner than I had anticipated.” “We’ll have to see if I can get myself motivated enough about the Omnium to really put some effort into training for it. I would very much like to participate in the Olympic Games in London, so I will do everything I can to make that possible.” Riders who have chosen to go for the Omnium in 2012 will be competing in the Omnium at the World Championships at the end of the month, however even this event is not like the Olympic format. “The Olympic Omnium format is completely different from the Omnium format at these 2010 World Championships. The Olympic format consists of 6 events spread over 2 days as opposed to 5 events in a single day.”  A winner of Junior Paris-Roubaix, Taylor's future is clearly Road based “For the 2010 World Championships my focus is still mainly on the Individual Pursuit as I would like very much to repeat my performance of last year and put down a time that I can be very proud of.” With Phinney’s dream of 2012 Olympic Gold in the Individual Pursuit cruelly taken away from him does he now have problems motivating himself for racing on the Track? “No, I am motivated by my competitors and proving people wrong. Luckily in the Pursuit, especially now, the talent level is at such a high level that I am constantly having to up my game to stay with the likes of Australia’s Jack Bobridge or Britain’s Geraint Thomas.”  Taylor's Frame for the 2010 Worlds Pursuit! “While I have fans who consistently believe in my abilities, I also have experienced a lot of people who think I will crack under pressure, or simply underperform. I feel very satisfied when I prove these people wrong. Also, seeing how happy my parents and mentors get when I ride my bike fast is enough motivation for me to keep grinding and working every day to get better.” One pursuit specific event that is still in the Olympic format is the Team Pursuit, an event which Taylor and his Trek-Livestrong team-mates claimed the USA National Championship title for last year. All of Phinney’s main rivals for the Individual Pursuit title will form part of their respective countries Team Pursuit squad, however the unfortunately for Taylor the USA do not participate in the Team Pursuit. “The US is nowhere near ready to send a team pursuit squad to these World Championships. I would absolutely LOVE to do team pursuit as it suits me better than individual Pursuiting, but unfortunately I am not the one who organizes these things.” With Phinney mainly looking to the Road for the future one option that is still available for Phinney on the Track is the World Hour Record. With the chance of Individual Pursuit Gold now gone, the World Hour Record would offer Phinney the chance to add his name to the long list of legendary riders who have held the record, such as Chris Boardman, Graeme Obree, Eddy Merchx, Miguel Indurain and Tony Rominger. Would Taylor ever consider challenging for the Record? “Yes I will look at the World Hour Record when I am older and stronger. Once my hour long endurance catches up with my current Pursuiting power we can think about it. For now, that 4:11 is the main target in my sights.” The expected showdown for his World Pursuit title will surely see new standards being set for the Individual Pursuit but for Taylor Phinney it just another step along the way to becoming one of the World’s greatest ever cyclists. | Velodromeshop.org.ukVelodromeshop.org.uk is the Online Track Cycling Shop from Velodrome-STS Ltd offering you a comprehensive range of the world's leading Track Cycling equipment Email: sales@velodrome.org.uk Phone: (0044) 7509 256 675 Skype Live Chat: velodromeorguk Order Online 24/7 as the Shop is Always Open Track Cycling Shop: www.velodromeshop.org.uk Twitter: www.twitter.com/velodromeorguk Facebook: Join Our Facebook Group Language Convert the website to the following languages by selecting a flag 
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