The Phinneys, Tour of Dubai and the Olympics
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| Taylor Phinney (BMC) Photo by Karen Rakestraw of Pedal Dancer® |
Taylor Phinney recently won the Tour of Dubai. He won the overall classification and the Young Riders jersey since he is age 23. Phinney won Stage 1, Marcel Kittel won the other 3 stages. Taylor Phinney's teammate Stephen Cummings was just +15 seconds behind him for the overall. The Stage 1 time trial determined the overall winner of this new stage race. It also showed us who was in top sprinting form - Kittel!
Taylor Phinney's 2014 BMC Time Trial Bike - Photos By Jamie Wilkins of CyclingNews.com
I think of the winter life of a professional cyclist as - Training camp, Tour Down Under, Tour of Qatar, and then the One-day Classics. This year the new Tour of Dubai was thrown in the mix. In some regards the build up to and outcome of the Classics is the most exciting time of year in pro cycling. Only after all that is over, do we then begin real talk of Grand Tours, WorldTours and American Tours.
Taylor Phinney - BMC Racing Team bio
The Winter Olympics are on
Which means it is that time when I haven't a clue what sport will appear on the TV screen when I click it on. I wait in suspense for the image to appear on the screen, "oh, not interested," "yes, interested!" Sochi is 11 hours ahead of Colorado. With instant news we hear about the qualifications or medals before we see the actual event saved for primetime TV. Not nearly as exciting as watching the event in real time.
Did you know that Taylor Phinney's mom,
Connie Carpenter Phinney, was both a Summer and Winter Olympian?
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| Connie Carpenter Phinney. Photo by Karen Rakestraw of Pedal Dancer® |
Yup - gold medal in the cycling road race at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Plus four medals in World Cycling Championship competitions (both road and track) and twelve U.S. national championships. She has stood on a podium many times. Connie also was a 1500m speed skater in the 1972 Winter Olympics at the age of fourteen. Pretty impressive.
Taylor Phinney's father
Davis Phinney was an Olympian at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, he won a Bronze Medal in the Men's 100 km Team Time Trial cycling. He remains the most winning American cyclist.
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| Davis Phinney (left) talking with BMC staff members in Colorado. Photo by Karen Rakestraw of Pedal Dancer® |
Taylor himself competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, coming in 4th in the Road Race and 4th in the Team Time Trial. Taylor became the Junior World Individual Pursuit Champion in 2008, the same year he competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics in the men's individual pursuit track, coming in 7th. No Olympic medals for Taylor, but he continues the family line of being an Olympian.
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| Taylor has stood on plenty of podiums himself. Photo by Karen Rakestraw of Pedal Dancer® |
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| One of my favorite memories - seeing Taylor Phinney and Tejay van Garderen out training on the road in Durango, Colorado, racing each other playfully in front of their BMC teammates behind. Photo by Karen Rakestraw of Pedal Dancer® |
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| That's a big framed bike! And a tall cyclist at 6'5.5" (1.97 m) tall. Photo by Karen Rakestraw of Pedal Dancer® |
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| Photo by Ron Long for Pedal Dancer® |
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| This is an athlete, did you know he was interested in soccer as a youth in Italy? My guess is he could have been great at a variety of sports. Photo by Karen Rakestraw of Pedal Dancer® |
Family support. The Phinney family is a family which knows cycling very well.
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| Ron Kiefel (left) preparing to drive Davis Phinney, Kelsey Phinney, and Connie Carpenter Phinney in the car for the final stage at the USA Pro Challenge in Denver in 2013. The Phinneys live in nearby Boulder. Photo by Karen Rakestraw of Pedal Dancer® |
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| Taylor Phinney Photo by Karen Rakestraw of Pedal Dancer® |
2014 Olympic
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