Taylor Phinney

Carson, Calif.—The 2008 USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships opened at the ADT Event Center velodrome at the Home Depot Center on Wednesday as three national champions were crowned on the first day of competition. Following a meteoric rise in the individual pursuit event since last year’s championships, 18-year-old Taylor Phinney (Boulder, Colo.) scored an elite title in the men’s kilometer time trial. Phinney clocked a winning time of 1 minute, (read more)

By Tim Reynolds, AP Sports Writer

BEIJING -- Davis Phinney looked around the velodrome, the light from the dozens of spotlights illuminating his bright smile.

He then held out his hands, holding both perfectly still, something he couldn't do a few months ago.

 "Amazing," he said again.

And then the former Olympian rose from his seat to hug his 18-year-old son Taylor, who'd just finished seventh in his very first Olympic race, qualifying for the next round and keeping medal hopes in the individual pursuit alive.

Never mind that the kid was disappointed with his placing and his time. Never mind that he went out too fast, as is his custom, and paid the price in the latter stages of the race. Didn't matter. The Phinney family and about two dozen of their closest friends were in Beijing on Friday, watching perhaps the next U.S. cycling star make his debut on sport's biggest stage.

What a day. What a year. And it's not over yet.

(read more)

Reuters

Just a year after roaring on to the cycling scene, American teenager Taylor Phinney says he feels no extra pressure from having two Olympic medalists for parents.

The son of Olympic road race gold medalist Connie Carpenter-Phinney and Olympic bronze medalist Davis Phinney has an outside chance of winning a medal in the 4,000-meter individual pursuit.

‘Mini-Phinney’, as the 6'4" cyclist is called, says he does not feel his Olympic genes are a burden. (read more)

Evansville Courier Press

To help you prepare for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing — or in case you need to brush up on your Trivial Pursuit knowledge — here are eight things to know about China, eight athletes to watch for and eight lesser-known Olympic sports.

By their very nature, the Olympic Games are full of amazing athletes — some have amazing rivalries, (read more)

St. Petersburg TimesTaylor Phinney is a prodigy and a late bloomer. He grew up in the mountains of Colorado and found his heart in the hills of France. A teenager who got on his bicycle three years ago and rode all the way to the Olympics."It's been a complete surprise," said his mother Connie Carpenter-Phinney. "Every step of the way." As master plans go, this one was a little haphazard. Taylor Phinney may have had every reason to turn to a career in cycling, but he had little motivation until recently. Connie Carpenter-Phinney was a 14-year-old speed skating sensation at the 1972 Olympics before turning to cycling and winning a gold medal in 1984. His father's name may also sound familiar. Davis Phinney won an Olympic bronze in cycling in '84 and two years later became the first American to win a stage at the Tour de France. It wasn't until his parents took him to see the 2005 Tour de France that Taylor's interest in cycling grew. Seeing the crowds, the emotion, the fervor surrounding the event was a revelation even for someone who grew up with Olympic medals in the kitchen cupboards. (read more)