Taylor Phinney facts for kids
Phinney at the 2016 Tour of Britain
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Taylor Carpenter-Phinney | ||
| Nickname | Mini Phinney | ||
| Born | June 27, 1990 Boulder, Colorado, United States |
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| Height | 1.97 m (6 ft 5+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Weight | 85 kg (187 lb; 13 st 5 lb) | ||
| Team information | |||
| Current team | Retired | ||
| Discipline | Road and track | ||
| Role | Rider | ||
| Rider type | Classics specialist Time trial specialist |
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| Major wins | |||
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Taylor Carpenter-Phinney (born June 27, 1990) is an American who used to be a professional road racing cyclist. He rode for several teams from 2009 to 2019. Taylor was especially good at time trials (races against the clock) on the road. He also excelled in the individual pursuit on the track, winning world titles in 2009 and 2010.
Contents
Early Life and First Races
Taylor Phinney was born on June 27, 1990. His parents were both famous cyclists who won Olympic medals. His dad, Davis Phinney, was a professional road cyclist. His mom, Connie Carpenter-Phinney, won Olympic gold in cycling and speed skating.
In 2007, when he was 16, Taylor started racing for Team Slipstream's junior team. The team manager, Jonathan Vaughters, signed Taylor even before seeing him race. He had heard great things about Taylor's skills from other riders. This is also when Taylor started track cycling. In August 2007, he won the World Junior Championships in the time trial. He then competed in many track cycling events. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, he finished seventh in the individual pursuit. Later that year, he won three gold medals at the U.S. National Track Championships.
Professional Cycling Career
Starting with Trek–Livestrong (2009–2010)
In September 2008, famous cyclist Lance Armstrong announced that Taylor Phinney would join his under-23 team. This team was managed by the same group as Armstrong's main team. On March 26, 2009, Taylor won the individual pursuit at the 2009 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. He won this world title again on March 25, 2010.
After these wins, Taylor started focusing more on road cycling. He won the Paris–Roubaix Espoirs race, which is a tough race for young riders. He also won the overall title at the Olympia's Tour and several stages in other races like the Tour de l'Avenir and Tour of Utah.
Racing with BMC (2011–2016)
In September 2010, the BMC Racing Team team announced that Taylor would join them in 2011. This team had other well-known cyclists like Cadel Evans. In his first year with BMC, Taylor's best result was finishing fourth overall in the 2011 Eneco Tour.
Taylor started the 2012 season strong. He helped his team win a team time trial at the 2012 Giro del Trentino. His main goal for 2012 was the first stage of the 2012 Giro d'Italia. He won this stage, which meant he got to wear the famous pink leader's jersey (the maglia rosa). He was only the third American cyclist to do this!
After the Giro, Taylor focused on the 2012 Summer Olympics. He aimed for medals in the road race and time trial. He finished fourth in both events, which is still a great achievement. He also won a time trial stage at the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. At the 2012 UCI Road World Championships, his BMC team won a silver medal in the team time trial. Taylor also won a silver medal in the individual time trial, missing the gold by just five seconds.
In 2013, during a very rainy race called 2013 Tirreno–Adriatico, Taylor kept riding even when many others gave up. He wanted to finish so he could race the next day's time trial. Even though he missed the time limit, his determination showed how tough he was.
The year 2014 started well for Taylor. He won the first-ever 2014 Dubai Tour after winning the opening time trial. In May, he won a stage at the 2014 Tour of California. He broke away from the main group and won by 12 seconds. Soon after, he won his second United States National Time Trial Championships title.
However, just two days later, Taylor had a very serious crash. He was trying to avoid a motorcycle during a race and crashed into a guard-rail. He broke his lower leg bone and tore a tendon in his knee. This injury needed surgery and kept him from racing for a whole year. He never got to wear his national champion jersey.
In 2015, Taylor took part in an adventure cycling trip called "Thereabouts 2." He rode from Boulder, Colorado, to Moab, Utah, with friends. The trip was about enjoying cycling for fun, friendship, and adventure.
Taylor spent the start of 2016 recovering from his injury. He raced in some events in Europe before returning to Colorado. In May 2016, he won his third United States National Time Trial Championships title. He was very happy with this win, hoping it would help him get selected for the 2016 Summer Olympics. He did compete in the Olympics, but he finished 22nd in the time trial.
Joining Cannondale–Drapac (2017–2019)
In September 2016, Taylor announced he would join the Cannondale–Drapac team for the 2017 season. He wanted to focus on classic races and hoped to race in the 2017 Tour de France. In June 2017, he was chosen to start the 2017 Tour de France, which was his first time in this famous race. Before the Tour, Taylor shared that he was still getting therapy for his 2014 injury. He said his left leg was still weaker than his right when he tried to push hard. During stage 2 of the Tour, Taylor even led the King of the Mountains competition and wore the polka dot jersey!
Retirement from Cycling
In October 2019, Taylor Phinney announced that he would stop professional racing at the end of the 2019 season. He said that the lasting effects of his 2014 injury were a big reason for his decision to retire.
Personal Life
Since 2016, Taylor Phinney has been in a relationship with another professional cyclist from Poland, Katarzyna Niewiadoma.
Major Achievements
Taylor Phinney had many great achievements in both road and track cycling.
- Road Cycling Highlights:
- Won a stage and wore the pink jersey at the 2012 Giro d'Italia.
- Won the overall title at the 2014 Dubai Tour.
- Won the United States National Time Trial Championships three times (2010, 2014, 2016).
- Won the Under-23 Time Trial at the 2010 UCI Road World Championships.
- Won a gold medal with his team in the team time trial at the 2015 UCI Road World Championships.
- Finished 4th in both the road race and time trial at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
- Finished 2nd in the individual time trial at the 2012 UCI Road World Championships.
- Finished 8th at the tough 2018 Paris–Roubaix race.
- Track Cycling Highlights:
- Won the Individual Pursuit World Championships twice (2009, 2010).
- Won the United States National Track Championships in individual pursuit, kilo, and team pursuit.
- Won the World Junior Championships in individual pursuit (2008).
Images for kids
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Taylor Phinney during the 2010 UCI Track World Championships.
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Taylor Phinney competing in the 2012 Olympics time trial in London.
See also
In Spanish: Taylor Phinney para niños
