Taylor Phinney is coming back to bike racing. And no, not just to gravel. Back to where it all began.
The 35-year-old American, who retired from professional road racing in 2019 after a career derailed by a catastrophic leg injury at the 2014 US nationals, announced on Instagram on Tuesday that he is pursuing a spot on the US team pursuit squad ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
"What started as a return to gravel racing has delicately snowballed into a full on Olympic dream," Phinney wrote, crediting USA Cycling's Allen Krauth with planting the idea. "I laughed it off at first," he added. Encouragement from his wife, 2024 Tour de France Femmes champion Kasia Niewiadoma, took the idea from a concept to something real.
The last time he was on a track? That'd be the Roubaix velodrome in 2018. That day was in itself a comeback (though when I spoke to him on the infield that day, he told me not to call it that), where an eighth place marked what felt like a return to the top after years of rehab on his leg injuries.
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