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Taylor Phinney, 36, is returning to the UCI Track World Championships for the first time in 16 years as part of the U.S. men’s team pursuit squad. The former world champion says the unexpected comeback began with a suggestion that he could help the team, and is now aimed at a place at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. His selection for the Worlds does not confirm that he will qualify for the Games.
Taylor Phinney is returning to the UCI Track World Championships for the first time in 16 years, joining the U.S. men’s team pursuit squad as he works toward a possible place at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The 36-year-old former individual pursuit world champion had retired from road racing in 2019 and had not competed on the track for more than 15 years, according to Cycling Weekly.
Phinney told Cycling Weekly that a friend first raised the prospect of a comeback during the previous winter, saying USA Cycling was looking for powerful riders for its men’s team pursuit programme. Phinney said he initially thought the suggestion was a joke. But the possibility stayed with him, in part because the team pursuit offered a chance to return to the track and pursue an Olympic goal with strong family meaning.
After speaking with U.S. endurance coach Jono Hailstone, Phinney attended a team camp in April at the Carson velodrome, where the Olympic track events are scheduled to take place in 2028. He travelled from Girona, Spain, at his own expense and said he arrived without a settled track position or wind-tunnel data, adjusting his position between efforts. He told the magazine the tryout went well; after subsequent wind-tunnel work, he said, he became part of the programme.
Phinney then trained with the squad at a second camp in Zolder, Belgium, in August. He also won team pursuit gold at the U.S. National Track Championships in late August, according to the report. He is due to lead the U.S. quartet off the start line at the World Championships. The report identifies a place at the Los Angeles Games as the overarching goal, not a selection already secured.
A Long Road Back to the Olympic Track
Phinney’s return gives the U.S. team pursuit programme an experienced rider with a history of success in both track and road racing. His participation also brings attention to the challenge of returning to elite competition after a long absence: he had to rebuild his track setup, train with the squad and demonstrate his level at camps and national championships. His World Championships appearance marks a meaningful step, but it is not evidence by itself that he will make the Olympic team.
The Olympic goal is personal as well as sporting. Phinney’s mother, Connie Carpenter-Phinney, won the women’s road race at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, while his father, Davis Phinney, earned bronze in the team time trial at those Games. A return to the same host city gives his bid added family significance, though his place in 2028 remains to be determined.
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From 2019 Retirement to Team Tryout
Phinney announced his retirement from professional road racing in 2019, days before his final recorded road result, a DNF at the Japan Cup. He told Cycling Weekly that injuries had left him disconnected from the sport. Before retiring, he won a Giro d’Italia time-trial stage in 2012, took silver in the road World Championships time trial that year and later placed eighth at Paris-Roubaix. He had also won two individual pursuit world titles, with his last Track World Championships appearance 16 years before this return.
After leaving the road-racing circuit, Phinney turned to art and music and occasionally rode gravel races. The comeback idea gathered momentum during a training camp in Gran Canaria with his wife, Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney. He said his legs felt good after spending time in the gym. On February 1, he contacted USA Cycling and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency to ask to be reinstated in the testing pool, a step he later described as the moment he came out of retirement. He then worked with Australian track coach Tim Decker ahead of the spring tryout.
“I thought it was a funny joke that somebody would even think that I was still capable of doing that.”
— Taylor Phinney, speaking to Cycling Weekly
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Olympic Selection Is Still Ahead
Phinney’s participation in the World Championships and his national title do not establish whether he will be selected for the 2028 U.S. Olympic team. The report does not give selection criteria, a qualification schedule, or details of how the coaching staff will weigh his performances against those of other riders. It also does not specify the full U.S. quartet or the team’s expected result at the Worlds. Those points remain open as his return develops.
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Worlds Performance and 2028 Build-Up
The immediate test is the men’s team pursuit at the Track World Championships, where Phinney is set to lead the U.S. quartet from the start. His performance there, alongside further training and selection opportunities, will provide more evidence of how his return is progressing. The longer-term objective is the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics; the report does not state when the U.S. team will make Olympic selections.
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Key Questions
Why is Taylor Phinney returning to track cycling?
Phinney said an invitation to explore a place in the U.S. men’s team pursuit programme planted the idea. He is now aiming to compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
When did Phinney last compete at the Track World Championships?
This is his first appearance at the event in 16 years, according to Cycling Weekly. He had not competed on a track for more than 15 years.
Has Phinney qualified for the 2028 Olympics?
No Olympic place has been confirmed in the report. Phinney is part of the programme and has stated the Games as his goal, but selection remains ahead.
What has Phinney achieved since restarting?
He attended U.S. team camps in Carson and Zolder and won team pursuit gold at the U.S. National Track Championships in late August, as reported by Cycling Weekly.
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