Taylor Phinney, the 17-year-old cycling phenom from Boulder, has won another world title. Back in August he won a junior world championship, this time he bested the big kids, taking a gold medal at the UCI Track World Cup in Los Angeles.

Riding just the seventh individual pursuit of his career, the high school senior rode with the calculated panache of a veteran to grab his first-ever World Cup victory, defeating Dutchman Jenning Huizenga in a winning time of 4:26:09.

“I just suffered through it. I think the person who can suffer the most wins this race,” Phinney said. “I didn’t expect to win when I was six or seven laps in.”
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Phinney, who is famous for his fast starts, admitted he consciously holstered his guns early in the race to preserve some firepower for later.

“I went with three to go – in Beijing I went with about five to go,” said Phinney, who finished fourth at the second round of the World Cup, held December 7-9 in Beijing China. “It was awesome having the whole place cheering for me. I thrive on of that kind of energy.”

The come-from-behind win sent shockwaves through the ADT Event’s Center velodrome at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. Greeting the triumphant teenager at the finish line were his coaches, Henderson and Allen Lim, and his parents, American cycling greats Connie Carpenter-Phinney and Davis Phinney.

Phinney rides for Team Slipstream/Chipotle, which is sponsored by 5280.

Way to go, kid!

Daniel Brogan
Daniel Brogan
Daniel Brogan is the founder, CEO, and Editor-in-Chief of 5280 Publishing, Inc.