Taylor Phinney Wins World Title in 4,000-Meter Individual Pursuit at 2009 UCI Track Cycling World Championships
Andy Lee March 30, 2009
Photo: Getty Images
Taylor Phinney of the USA celebrates winning the Individual Pursuit at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships at the BGZ Arena on March 26, 2009 in Pruszkow, Poland.
Pruskow, Poland (March 26, 2009)—After setting a new national record earlier today, Taylor Phinney (Boulder, Colo.) became the first American in 13 years to win an elite men’s world title on the track, capturing the rainbow jersey in the 4-kilometer individual pursuit Thursday night in Poland.
Phinney clocked a winning time of 4:17.631 to beat Australia’s Jack Bobridge in the gold-medal final. Seeded second, Bobridge rode a 4:20.091 in the final to claim the silver medal, while Belgium’s Dominique Cornu took the bronze in 4:22.347.
Earlier in the day, Phinney rode a 4:15.160 to break his own national record and claim the top seed.
Phinney’s world championship is the first by an American male track rider since Marty Nothstein won a keirin championship in 1996. The last American to win a men’s pursuit title was Mike McCarthy in 1992.
At the age of 18, Phinney continues to add to an impressive résumé that already lists several major accomplishments. His emergence as one of the top pursuit riders in the world comes just 17 months after taking up the event. Since then he’s won a pair of elite national titles (2007-08) a junior world title (2008) and two UCI World Cup races. He also represented the U.S. with a seventh-place finish at the Olympic Games last summer.
Phinney’s world title complements his parents’ equally impressive list of cycling accolades. His mother, Connie Carpenter-Phinney, won a gold medal in the 1984 Olympic road race, while father Davis is an Olympic bronze medalist and Tour de France stage winner.
Also on Thursday, Daniel Holloway (Morgan Hill, Calif.) placed 18th in the men’s scratch race for Team USA.
Phinney’s victory also marks the continued resurgence of USA Cycling’s track program. Following a seven-year span in which Americans captured only two world championship medals between 1999 and 2005, U.S. athletes have since claimed a total of seven medals, including four world titles.
“We continue to invest a significant amount of resources into the support and development of both emerging and elite athletes,” said USA Cycling interim director of athletics Jim Miller. “Looking at Taylor’s recent accomplishments, as well as the many successes of American athletes on the track throughout the last several years, it’s obvious our efforts are yielding results. For Taylor, his potential is astounding considering his age and the additional support structure of family, coaches, sponsors and trade team affiliation by which he’s surrounded.”
Friday, Phinney will compete for a second world title in the men’s kilometer time trial. He is currently the national champion and U.S. record-holder in the event and recently won the UCI World Cup finale in Copenhagen last month.
Shelley Olds (Scotts Valley, Calif.) will also compete Friday for Team USA in the women’s scratch race.
The 2009 UCI Track World Championships continue through Sunday.
Phinney clocked a winning time of 4:17.631 to beat Australia’s Jack Bobridge in the gold-medal final. Seeded second, Bobridge rode a 4:20.091 in the final to claim the silver medal, while Belgium’s Dominique Cornu took the bronze in 4:22.347.
Earlier in the day, Phinney rode a 4:15.160 to break his own national record and claim the top seed.
Phinney’s world championship is the first by an American male track rider since Marty Nothstein won a keirin championship in 1996. The last American to win a men’s pursuit title was Mike McCarthy in 1992.
At the age of 18, Phinney continues to add to an impressive résumé that already lists several major accomplishments. His emergence as one of the top pursuit riders in the world comes just 17 months after taking up the event. Since then he’s won a pair of elite national titles (2007-08) a junior world title (2008) and two UCI World Cup races. He also represented the U.S. with a seventh-place finish at the Olympic Games last summer.
Phinney’s world title complements his parents’ equally impressive list of cycling accolades. His mother, Connie Carpenter-Phinney, won a gold medal in the 1984 Olympic road race, while father Davis is an Olympic bronze medalist and Tour de France stage winner.
Also on Thursday, Daniel Holloway (Morgan Hill, Calif.) placed 18th in the men’s scratch race for Team USA.
Phinney’s victory also marks the continued resurgence of USA Cycling’s track program. Following a seven-year span in which Americans captured only two world championship medals between 1999 and 2005, U.S. athletes have since claimed a total of seven medals, including four world titles.
“We continue to invest a significant amount of resources into the support and development of both emerging and elite athletes,” said USA Cycling interim director of athletics Jim Miller. “Looking at Taylor’s recent accomplishments, as well as the many successes of American athletes on the track throughout the last several years, it’s obvious our efforts are yielding results. For Taylor, his potential is astounding considering his age and the additional support structure of family, coaches, sponsors and trade team affiliation by which he’s surrounded.”
Friday, Phinney will compete for a second world title in the men’s kilometer time trial. He is currently the national champion and U.S. record-holder in the event and recently won the UCI World Cup finale in Copenhagen last month.
Shelley Olds (Scotts Valley, Calif.) will also compete Friday for Team USA in the women’s scratch race.
The 2009 UCI Track World Championships continue through Sunday.
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