American track, gravel and road cyclist Taylor Phinney has announced his return to racing, seven years after retiring from the sport.

The 2009 individual pursuit track world champion is returning to the discipline, aiming for a spot on the US pursuit team 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 on Instagram on Tuesday.

"The track was where I first found love and success in this sport, it was even the first discipline to break my heart when my specialty event, the individual pursuit, was removed from the Olympic program, which prompted me to swiftly abandon the track and go all in on the road," the post continued.

Phinney’s transition to the road had resulted in both triumph and catastrophe. At the 2012 Giro d'Italia, he became the third American to wear the maglia rosa after winning the opening TT stage. A trio of US national TT titles soon followed, but his promising charge was temporarily curtailed by a crash at the 2014 US national championships. There he sustained two breaks in the lower left leg and a knee injury after crashing into a guardrail.

After a dominant year, winning the Tour of Dubai and collecting a stage victory in the Tour of California and the US time trial, he was taken out of the Tour de France squad and into a year of rehabilitation. His official retirement announcement came five years later, when he was just 29: "I feel like my body sort of made this choice for me," he said at the time. "I've now been injured longer than I've not been injured as a professional athlete."

Phinney’s latest comeback began back in November, when training for the team first began. Pushed by his Tour de France Femmes-winning wife, Kasia Niewiadoma, and by his own family’s Olympic legacy. The last time the Olympic Games were held in LA was in 1984, when his mother, Connie Carpenter-Phinney, won gold in the road race. "The seed started to grow and before I knew it all I could think of was closing this final loop in my cycling career," he wrote.

While the transition back into a team environment has been smooth so far, the 35-year-old admitted that he’s got a lot of hard work in the gym ahead of him.

"Regardless of whether I make the official team for LA28 or not, I’m honored to be in the running and will look forward to making some World Cup teams to elevate the team to its highest potential and Olympic qualifying position!"

Taylor Phinney (EF Education First), who announced his retirement at 29 years old, left a mark in the peloton. For those close to him, he is an "inspirational" and "intelligent" rider to be around.

The American had suffered to return to his best since breaking his leg in 2014 at the US National Championships road race. This year, he was held back by knee issues in the Classics, but his palmarès includes the Under-23 Paris-Roubaix win twice, world track titles, a stage and a stint in the pink jersey at the Giro d'Italia .

"We properly became friends in some French 2.1 race, we had the leader's jersey on my team and he was still at BMC, and I was getting dropped uphill and he gave me a push," Ryan Mullen (Trek-Segafredo) told Cycling Weekly.

"It was cool because I grew up looking up to him because he came from a track background like me and gave me hope that big guys can make it. At team Cannondale, we got on really well, we roomed together a lot, did a Classics campaign together."

The two had met having a beer together in the Tour of Britain after the race. Mullen, knowing Phinney well, saw first-hand the suffering required to come back from the 2014 leg injury.

"The sacrifice was inspirational," he added. "I don't blame him for retiring."

"This year, we knew what was coming," EF Education First sports director Tom Southam said. "Taylor was considering it before Paris-Roubaix 2018, but his result there kept him going for a while. But based on a few chats, it's not surprising he retires."

Phinney raced with BMC and for the last three years, EF Education First.

"I think many people think that he doesn't pay attention to what is gong on," said Southam. "I remember once in the Tour of California being in Taylor's room with another team-mate, the rider asked me, 'What time do we leave tomorrow?' Taylor was dancing in his underpants with his headphones and he knew exactly to the minute what time we left. So even though he was dicking around, doing this and that, he was serious about his bike racing. He loves cycling."

Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) embraced the young talented rider whose parents were Davis, the first US rider to win a stage at the Tour de France, and Connie, the gold medal winner at the 1984 Olympics. When Phinney rode in the pink jersey at the Giro, Cavendish celebrated with him in his rainbow jersey.

"Some people have a smile that is massively contagious. An infectious laugh that brightens the mood of everyone around. A personality that people are drawn to," Cavendish wrote on Twitter.

"One of the most talented bike riders I've ever ridden with, your impressive results and achievements are irrelevant when talking about how happy you make people. Enjoy your retirement. @taylorphinney Love you mate x."

Most of the Americans in the peloton moved to Boulder, Colorado, to try to become a professional. Phinney was one of the few who was born there.

"In Boulder, I crossed paths with him, we did a lot of training rides together, had a lot of fun," Kiel Reijnen (Trek-Segafredo) said.

"Forget the races, the training rides impressed me, for sure. We would always sprint for the town lines. It would start with Taylor whacking it with 2km to go."

Taylor Phinney has announced his retirement from professional racing at 29.

The EF Education First rider will call time on his career after years of suffering with injury, saying that his “passion is elsewhere” away from the bike.

His last race will be the Japan Cup on October 20.

>>> Mark Cavendish adds Ghent Six Day to his track comeback 

Phinney, from Boulder in the USA, was a prodigious talent in his younger years, winning the junior Paris-Roubaix in 2010 and claiming the under-23 time trial world title and multiple national TT jerseys.

In 2014, Phinney crashed during the USA National Championships road race and suffered career-threatening leg injuries.

He returned to racing after more than a year away from the peloton, but never reached the same heights as he struggled through further injury.

“It sounds funny that word, ‘retiring,’” Phinney said, “It doesn't really feel like that for me.

“This decision has been something that I've been back and forth struggling with for a long time, and by a long time I mean a couple of years, and ultimately, I feel like my body sort of made this choice for me. I've now been injured longer than I've not been injured as a professional athlete.”

Phinney started his career with Trek-Livestrong in 2009 and made the jump to the WorldTour in 2011 with BMC Racing, where he spent the next six years.

He then joined Cannondale-Drapac, now EF Education First, in 2017.

Career highlights include victory in the prologue of the 2012 Giro d’Italia, which put him into the pink jersey, three US national TT titles, and top-10 finishes in both Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix.

He added: “At some point, you don't want to just be lining up for races to finish them. It's time to take that energy and put it into something fresh, something new, something unknown.

“I’m stepping away so that I can be more true to myself, which means to make art, to make music, to create and cultivate. I've kind of had one foot in the sports pool and then one foot in the art pool, and art just won at some point.”

Phinney’s career was closely watched from a young age as he is the son of cycling greats Davis Phinney and Connie Carpenter-Phinney, and in the early years he delivered on the expectation.

But the 2014 crash, in which he suffered an open compound fracture of the tibia, a severed patellar tendon and lost chunks of his kneecap, changed Phinney both physically and mentally.

>>> Pello Bilbao and Scott Davies among six new signings for Bahrain-Merida 

Phinney added: “I'm grateful that people would like to see me do amazing things on a bicycle. Talent is nothing without work ethic, and work ethic comes from genuine passion for what you're doing. And if you are constantly forcing your work ethic because your passion is elsewhere, then potential and talent mean nothing.

“I feel like I've been basically preparing for this for a while now, cultivating the ability to voice my honest opinion and say: ‘I think that I don't want to do this anymore.’”

He added that may see him racing his mountain bike next year however.

As we all know, cyclists and Twitter is often a fantastic combination, allowing the fans a behind the scenes look at what goes on in and around the professional peloton.

Here are some of the tweets that caught our eye this week, including Chris Froome, Rigoberto Uran and Taylor Phinney.

1. Where do we sign up for this spin class?

2. Phinney swaps Lycra for lederhosen.

3. Dumoulin is a man of few words it would seem.

4. Sam Oomen perfects the art of photobombing.

5. Time triallers, take note.

6. On Tom Dumoulin's shopping list: one miniature bicycle.

7. Tom Skujins asking the important questions.

8. That's one way to cross the finish line.

9. It's not all fun and games at the Worlds though.

10. Bradley Wiggins carries a long load.

American Taylor Phinney (Cannondale-Drapac) celebrated his debut at the Tour de France with his new "friend for life" Yoann Offredo (Wanty-Groupe Gobert).

Their day-long escape in stage two to Liège earned Phinney enough points to wear the polka-dot jersey on stage three.

>>> Five talking points from stage two of the Tour de France

Phinney and Offredo escaped with two others in the wet day from Düsseldorf. They crossed over the border into Belgium and flew free, just the two of them. They failed to win, but Phinney took the famous mountains jersey.

"The peloton never gave us any room, any leash, and I thought they were going to catch us even before the second KOM," Phinney explained.

Their move gained some time when Chris Froome (Sky) and others crashed with 30.3 kilometres to race.

"I won that second KOM and definitely had this jersey, and then it turned into this like, 'Oh wait, maybe we can win. We can win the stage.'

"I've raced with Yoann Offredo for a long time and I've always been friendly with him. He was definitely the strongest dude in the break, we both were, so when we found ourselves together I just turned to him, 'Finalement, let's do this.'"

With five kilometres left, they still hovered in front of the peloton with a half-minute lead. They "really started to believe" in their chances.

The sprinters' teams lifted the pace after the crash and prepared for the eventual bunch gallop. They caught the duo with 1.1 kilometres left in the 203.5-kilometre stage.

"When we crossed the finish line I kind of put my arm around him and was like we're friends for life bro. You got me for life."

The ride helps complete a comeback for the two-time under-23 Paris-Roubaix winner and former individual pursuit world champion.

The 27-year-old has not raced a Grand Tour since he broke his leg in the 2014 US National Championships road race and Phinney, son of former Tour stage winner Davis Phinney, is now making his Tour de France debut.

His time trial on stage one, 17 seconds behind winner Geraint Thomas (Sky), also put him in position to possibly take the yellow jersey lead if he held out on stage two. Team Cannondale sports director Charly Wegelius took note.

"So I did the time trial, took a shower in my hotel room, then walked out of my bathroom an I was completely naked in my room. Charly Wegelius, our team director, walked into our room. I was just standing there completely naked," Phinney said.

"He started talking to me about what he wants to do on this stage today. And I was sort of half-like, 'Yo bro, I'm naked, but also I'm listening.'

"He wanted to go for this jersey and I had thought about it a little bit, but I hadn't put on any clothes yet, I was trying to figure out which boxers I was going to wear first. Then we had the team meeting this morning and that was the plan.

"I got a little bit distracted by the music at the second stop, when we were doing the neutral, there was one violin player who was like killing it. But once the race started I was like, 'OK, let's do this.'

Phinney finished 146th, but at least took the maillot blanc à pois rouges, or the polka-dot jersey, to wear on the third stage into France and the finish in Longwy.

"It felt like a dream to get started [at the Tour]. I've been reading a lot of Murakami so that might be why I feel like it feels like a dream," Phinney said.

"Still, starting and having the break go and being a part of that, and then realising that I was going to be able to sprint to be in this jersey, a jersey I'd never in a million years pictured myself wearing."

Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix will not feature American Cannondale-Drapac rider Taylor Phinney due to the concussion he sustained during a crash last weekend at the Tour of Flanders.

“Until yesterday, I was feeling pretty optimistic about being able to ride Roubaix this weekend,” Phinney said.

“I’d been feeling OK at the dinner table and hanging out. But then yesterday was my first ride outside. I started riding and got a little bit of a headache. Then it went away and I thought, ‘OK, I’ll be fine.’ But then it came back and I started experiencing some emotional ups and down that reminded me of the last concussion I had.”

After returning from the training ride and consulting with team doctors and management, they determined he would not line up for Sunday’s classic.

Team manager Jonathan Vaughters said, “With even the mildest of concussions, we sit the rider six days. The rider may be able to train some in that period, but racing is out of the question. Normally we encourage training to occur on the Tacx. We evaluate the rider daily, and after six days he must take a cognitive test to make sure the effects of the concussion have subsided. At that point, they may or may not be able to resume competition.”

Paris-Roubaix was one of Phinney’s targets for the year as the parcours suited his skillset well. Now, he’ll focus his training for the Amgen Tour of California in May as well as the stage one time trial at the Tour de France in Düsseldorf.

>>> Paris-Roubaix 2017: Latest news and race info

Asked how his morale is, Phinney said, “I’m frustrated. I’ve been nursing myself this whole classics season to get into these races and be with the guys, but this just happens. This happened my first season as a pro, but then I ended up having a pretty nice second part of the season.

"On the positive end, I’m more motivated. I feel more motivated than I have in a long time to put in effort for the summer. I look forward to the Tour of California and the first stage of the Tour de France. These things excite me.”

Cannondale-Drapac had earlier announced that Sep Vanmarcke would also miss Paris-Roubaix due to injuries sustained during the Tour of Flanders.

The America-based outfit Cannondale–Drapac is sending Taylor Phinney to the start line of the Tour of Flanders this Sunday for his first Classic with his new team.

This will be the third time that Phinney has toed the line, his most recent finish coming last year with BMC, when he finished 7-19 down from winner Peter Sagan.

“Everyone in Belgium knows this race. It’s Super Bowl Sunday for bike racing, even more so than the Tour de France,” Phinney said.

In Belgium, this second Monument of the season is unequivocally the country's largest sporting event of the year. “It’s bigger than the Olympic Games for the Belgians,” said Cannondale–Drapac sport director Andreas Klier.

The race sees the peloton tackle over 260km with 18 total climbs, 11 of those being cobbled. For the 101st edition of this historic race, the Muur-Kapelmuur returns to the parcours after a nine-year hiatus.

Typically, Flanders is decided by the cobbled Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg climbs, which come back-to-back and are only 13 and seven kilometres respectively from the finish line in Oudenaarde.

Last year, Phinney was riding in support of Greg Van Avermaet. This year, he’ll be supporting Sep Vanmarcke, who is looking to improve upon his third place finish at the opening Classic of the season, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad last month.

Having not raced any Classics so far this year because of a slight set-back to his injured leg, Phinney is looking forward to testing his form. “It’s nice to go into Flanders completely fresh mentally and not scarred by any of the previous Classics,” he said.

Other American riders lining up for the ‘Super Bowl’ of bike racing include first timer Kiel Reijnen (Trek–Segafredo) and veteran Tyler Farrar (Dimenson Data), who will be racing his 10th Tour of Flanders. Farrar’s best finish came in 2010 while riding for a previous iteration of the Cannondale-Drapac team, Team Garmin – Transitions when he came in fifth behind the podium of Fabian Cancellara, Tom Boonen and Phillipe Gilbert.

Cannondale-Drapac have announced the signing of Taylor Phinney for the 2017 season from BMC Racing.

The USA time trial champion has been with BMC since the start of 2011, after making the switch from RadioShack where he rode as a stagiaire for the latter part of 2010.

The move to Cannondale keeps Phinney in an American registered team and on the WorldTour, which is an important step for his career.

The 26-year-old's best result this year was victory in the stage one team time trial at Tirreno-Adriatico. He equalled this result at the recent Eneco Tour when BMC won the stage five team time trial.

Individually, Phinney has struggled for success but did take third place on the Tour of California time trial behind teammate Rohan Dennis and future teammate Andrew Talansky.

Phinney has been working back to his best since a crash at the 2014 USA Road National Championships caused a compound fracture to his tibia and a severed patellar tendon. He required surgery, and didn't race again until August of the following year.

“I have some close friends that race for the team. And it just generally seems like the team itself has a good vibe," Phinney said.

"I also met with [Vaughters] earlier this year and really connected,” he continued. “One of the major reasons is to work with Cannondale, as an American bike sponsor. My first bike I got was a blue Cannondale that I got from my parents."

He talked about his hunger for victory, “I just want to win. Because that’s what it’s all about. I feel like I’m to an age where I’m more comfortable with myself and who I am."

With reference to his injury in 2014, Phinney added: "I feel like I just got back to a point with my body that I’m able to think about goals and not just think about surviving these races. And that’s powerful."

Taylor Phinney showed he has recaptured some of his old form after recovering from his serious leg injury in 2014, taking a third career victory in the US National Time Trial Championships.

The 25-year-old BMC rider finished 1-10 ahead of Rally Cycling's Tom Zibel on the 51km course in Winston-Salem, logging an unbeatable time of 1-02-45.

His teammate Brent Bookwalter finished in fourth place, 1-36 behind Phinney, while LottoNL-Jumbo's Alexey Vemeulen took third at 1-12.

"It was super difficult and I didn't really have a lot of fun," Phinney said. "But that's how it is with a time trial and I signed myself up for this event, so I knew what I was getting my self into.

Watch: Secrets of the toolbox - BMC

"Honestly I didn't really feel very good. It was a tough mental battle the whole way.

"I'm looking forward to putting the kit on for the first time, hopefully soon. I was just here to show myself ahead of the Olympics and try to have a good ride."

Phinney suffered a potentially career ending injury in a crash during the US National Road Race Championships in 2014, and has only returned to a full program of racing this year. He says the injury to his left leg is still having an effect on him today, but not as badly as before.

"I couldn't walk for almost two hours afterwards," he said. "I still can't ride my bike and get my left leg over the left crank because I was cramping really intensely after the time trial. It's a weird thing to do to yourself that's for sure, but I'm happy that I won, and happy that I'm not in so much pain anymore."

Comeback kid Taylor Phinney has chosen the USA over Europe as he narrows his focus on the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in August.

The 25-year-old left the continent for his native Colorado last Tuesday following an awaited return to the spring classics that concluded with a 49th place at Paris-Roubaix.

Phinney has not entirely reverted to the Eurocentric lifestyle he observed before a well-documented crash at the 2014 US National Road Championships in which he shattered his left leg and was side-lined for 15 months.

The off-contract BMC personality has observed personal changes throughout the recovery process but still has the same zeal for the Olympic time trial he finished fourth in at London 2012.

“I leased a vacation rental in Girona for the early part of the season but I’m going back to my house in Boulder, Colorado,” he said.

“I have got to figure out where I’m going to be based in Europe but I’ve been having fun in Spain. The only thing though is that [with the way the season is] I’ll be going home, home [to the US] a lot more often so I wasn’t sure if I wanted to rent a place full-time.

“With the build-up to the Olympics it changes the way the schedule is, at least my schedule is, and allows more time to be in the US so this year is a little bit in limbo as to where I am going to be in Europe.”

>>> Taylor Phinney takes first win since comeback from serious leg injury (video)

The trade team time trial world champion is set to postpone a Tour de France debut this season, mindful of his ongoing physical rehabilitation and an Olympic prize that is more recognised in America. Phinney finished fourth in the time trial and the road race at London 2012 on the back of preparation predominately on home soil.

“I would like to [race at the Tour de France] but it’s a little bit early still for considering a Grand Tour. I noticed that in the stage races my left leg doesn’t quite recover as fast as my right leg,” he said.

“I’m not quite sure what my build-up will be for the Olympics. I’m going to do the Tour of California, nationals and then probably come back to Europe for a race like Tour de Suisse, or Poland. I’ll then do a lot of really specific time trial work, mostly in Colorado.”

Phinney may be more of a nomad this season but believes his career is still on the same trajectory as it was before the crash, which has had a physical and mental impact.

“I felt pretty comfortable being back at the classics and I still have passion for these races. On the same token, I’m really motivated to do the time trial at the Olympics so in that sense I’m definitely a similar rider to what I was a couple of years ago,” he said.

“I’m a similar rider to what I was in the past physically but mentally I feel like I’m completely different and that’s nice. It can also be difficult but I think with a more open mind you’re bound to kind of jump all over the place.”

>>> Why doesn’t Taylor Phinney want to become a Grand Tour contender?

Phinney is unsure if he will regain full range of motion in his left leg but is confident racing will improve strength, which is now an integral part of the recovery and his road to Rio.

“I can lift myself out of a chair with my right leg but I couldn’t do that with my left leg. I just don’t have the quad strength and it’s something I’m building on slowly,” he said.

“I can handle a one-day race. My left leg starts to fatigue more than my right towards the end but that’s not quite as much of a problem in a one-day race whereas it would be if you get five or six days into a stage race. I’m able to do week-long stage races but I definitely feel the difference towards the end.”

Phinney marked a late start to the season at the Tour du Haut-Var in February with all things considered and said he is on the right track to another tilt at Olympic success.

Watch: Secrets of the toolbox - BMC

“I didn’t want to go to the Middle East and risk crashing in one of those races, and I also wanted to make sure I had as much time as possible in the winter to continue strengthening and training on my own,” he explained.

“The team allowed me to do that, which was great. I felt very fortunate that I could have that time and I knew I could come into the season, if I was training well and if I was doing everything properly, at a high level.

“I didn’t want it to be too overbearing, the first part of the season, and this has been the perfect amount of time.”

Cyclists need to consider their own actions to help improve their safety in the peloton, says Taylor Phinney (BMC). The American crashed with a motorbike two years ago in the US Championships and broke his leg, but has recovered and is set to take to the start of the Tour of Flanders on Sunday.

The issue of rider safety has come into focus recent times after numerous incidents involving motorbikes in races.

"I've thought about it with my own personal injury," Phinney said. "For sure, [the motorbikes] take big risks, and it's not OK, but many of the riders could do well by looking at the actions that they take in races.

"We start like mad in the neutral zone, guys cutting left and right, these massive risks already before the start. A guy was dropped before kilometre zero in Ghent-Wevelgem. The riders don't have to take those risks."

Phinney of course was not blaming those riders involved. but reacting to the seemingly rising number of vehicle/cyclist incidents. Over the last year, car or motorbike problems happened in the Tour of Flanders, the Tour de France, the Vuelta a España and in the Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne.

Watch: Essential guide to the Tour of Flanders

"If you wanted a completely safe bike race, you would have a closed circuit with no cars,” Phinney added. “I see a lot of unnecessary risks by the riders and a lot of pointing fingers, but I've looked at what I can do to avoid these dramatic situations."

On the other side of Kortrijk, Tom Boonen (Etixx–Quick-Step) met with the press in the team's pre-Flanders press conference. He was quizzed about the same issue.

"I think in the last few years, the amount of motorbikes has doubled," Boonen said. "Take that together with the roads not getting any wider, and more traffic islands and dividers. It's harder on everyone.

"A solution? It's hard to say. Everyone is trying to go as fast as possible and cutting corners. It's always a difficult situation to be in. The mentality as been the same since a bike was under a rider's arse, he always wants to fight for the win. The mentality to win the race doesn't change."

Taylor Phinney sprinted from a long way out to win the first stage of the USA Pro Challenge on Monday - his first win since coming back from a 14-month layoff with injury.

The BMC rider missed the second half of the 2014 season and most of the 2015 season as he rehabilitated from a horrific broken leg suffered at the USA National Championships last year.

He made his comeback at the Tour of Utah earlier in August, finishing third on stage one, but went a couple better in Steamboat Springs to take the win.

Winding up his sprint from a long way out, the 25-year-old American sped past everyone and out the front of the peloton, crossing the line ahead of Keil Reijnen (UnitedHealthcare) and teammate Brent Bookwalter.

"I was pretty much blown away crossing the finish line," he said in the post-race press conference. "I think it’s going to take a little while to process fully the whole day. I can tell you the feeling crossing the finish line and the roar of the crowd was really special and really emotional. It was kind of that electric moment we all live for."

BMC duo Taylor Phinney and Peter Stetina are set for a return to action at the Tour of Utah after months on the sidelines with serious leg injuries.

Phinney has not raced since May 2014 after suffering compound fractures of his tibia and patella and rupturing his patella tendon at the US National Championships.

Stetina, meanwhile, has been out of action since a horrific crash at the end of stage one at the Tour of the Basque Country, where he crashed into metal bollards at the side of the road and also fracturing his patella and tibia.

"All of the doctors who have seen Peter cannot believe his determination," said BMC's Dr Max Testa. "He did not want to miss this opportunity to return to racing in the U.S. The team will not put any pressure on him, either. He will have to take the race one stage at a time and see how he feels."

The Tour of Utah starts on Monday in Logan, running until Sunday. And 62 weeks after his last competition, BMC insist there's no expectations for Phinney at the race.

Dr Testa added: "Taylor has been working very hard to get to where he is now and believes that he is ready to race. The team has no expectations of him.

"He will test his condition to see where his knee is and what kind of condition he has. From this race, he can gauge what the rest of the season may look like."

 Check out the inside of the BMC mechanic's truck

American professional Taylor Phinney has posted up a photograph of his left leg showing the extensive scarring as a result of surgery to repair two breaks in the limb.

The 24 year old crashed on a descent of Lookout Mountain during the USA Cycling Professional Road Championships in May, leaving him with two breaks in the lower left leg and a knee injury.

The crash and subsequent injury forced Phinney to miss the 2014 Tour de France. Prior to the incident, Phinney had been enjoying a productive season with an overall win in the Tour of Dubai, a stage victory in the Tour of California and the US time trial title.

Phinney is now back riding after a summer of rehabilitation on indoor rollers. It is not known when he will make a return to racing.

Taylor Phinney breaks leg, will not ride Tour de France

Taylor Phinney breaks left leg in two places as a result of crash during US Pro Championships

Taylor Phinney (BMC Racing) broke his left leg in two places as a result of a crash during the USA Cycling Professional Road Championships on Sunday, the day after winning the US time trial title.

The injury means that Phinney will now miss his debut Tour de France in July, when the race starts in Yorkshire.

Phinney crashed on the descent of Lookout Mountain after 43 kilometres of the race, breaking his lower left leg in two places and injuring his knee.

The 23-year-old underwent surgery in Chattanooga on Monday night.

Phinney had been enjoying a successful season, with an overall win in the Tour of Dubai and a stage victory in the Tour of California - as well as clinching the US time trial title.

Taylor Phinney takes solo win on Tour of California stage five

Late attack nets Taylor Phinney the stage victory in Santa Barbara and Bradley WIggins maintains overall lead

Taylor Phinney (BMC) claimed the fifth stage of the Tour of California on Thursday after a late attack off the top of the day's final climb saw him cross the line solo in Santa Barbara ahead of the peloton.

Phinney attacked on the descent of San Marcos Pass in sweltering temperatures, building up clear air between himself and the chasing bunch. By the finish, Phinney was still 12 seconds ahead and raised his arms skyward in celebration.

Peter Sagan (Cannondale) led the peloton home for second place, with Matt Goss (Orica-GreenEdge) in third. Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) had earlier dropped off the pace, and crossed the line in the third group of riders at 11-43.

"I was nervous about the climb," Phinney said afterwards. "I was nervous about the heat. Once we got on the climb, I knew I was going to be able to stay with the group and at least sprint for top three and maybe get on the podium again. But to do what I did is kind of one of those things where you get to the finish and you're like, 'How did I do that?' And why did I do that?"

The day's six-man escape group had not been allowed to gain significant time over the peloton, perhaps mindful of the previous day's antics where the break stayed away. However, the sprinters' team did not predict Phinney's daring solo move, and it was another day that rewarded the daring.

Bradley Wiggins (Sky) safely retained his overall lead in the race. Rohan Dennis (Garmin-Sharp) sits at 28 seconds behind the 2012 Tour de France winner, with Tiago Machado (NetApp-Endura) in third at 1-09. Adam Yates (Orica-GreenEdge) continues in fifth spot, at 2-14.

Friday is crunch time for the overall contenders, who face a summit finish at Mountain High, which could provide a platform for a general classification upset.

Results
Tour of California 2014, stage five: Pismo Beach to Santa Barbara, 173.8km
1. Taylor Phinney (USA) BMC Racing in 3-59-33

2. Peter Sagan (Svk) Cannondale at 12 secs

3. Matthew Harley Goss (Aus) Orica-GreenEdge

4. Jasper Stuyven (Bel) Trek Factory Racing

5. Kiel Reijnen (USA) UnitedHealthcare

6. Lawson Craddock (USA) Giant-Shimano

7. Thomas Damuseau (Fra) Giant-Shimano

8. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing

9. Paul Voss (Ger) Team NetApp-Endura

10. Tiago Machado (Por) NetApp-Endura at same time

Other

22. Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky at same time

Overall classification after stage five
1. Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Team Sky in 17-53-36

2. Rohan Dennis (Aus) Garmin-Sharp at 28 secs

3. Tiago Machado (Por) Team NetApp-Endura at 1-09

4. Lawson Craddock (USA) Team Giant-Shimano at 1-25

5. Adam Yates (GBr) Orica-GreenEdge at 2-14

6. Peter Stetina (USA) BMC Racing at 2-28

7. Matthew Busche (USA) Trek Factory Racing at 2-29

8. Carter Jones (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies at 2-31

9. Laurens Ten Dam (Ned) Belkin at 2-33

10. Javier Alexis Acevedo Colle (Col) Garmin-Sharp at 2-34

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8r62uvcp7Y

Bradley Wiggins extends lead in Tour of California

Bradley Wiggins capitalises on split in peloton to gain time on Rohan Dennis as William Routley wins stage from escape

Taylor Phinney loves the Spring Classics. The 23-year-old American on BMC tells Sophie Smith what makes racing on the cobbles — especially at Paris-Roubaix — just so special.

“The Classics are dramatic. They’ve always been really fun to watch, for me, so I was drawn to them just for the pure entertainment value. When I was younger I’d watch them and want to be one of those riders who is providing the entertainment.

“They’re really, really difficult. They’re really stressful. They’re not necessarily fun but it’s something that suits my characteristics, and it’s something that can inspire a lot of people and create a lot of emotion on the other side.

“The Classics are so long that there are so many opportunities for yourself to ruin it over the course of the day. You’re basically trying to not ruin the race for yourself by flatting or crashing or spending too much energy by being too far up, or back. When the time comes you have to have the legs to be able to respond and make that front group. Then, from there, it’s a whole different story of trying to win the race.

“It’s always been about Roubaix [for me], largely because I just feel like it’s the most dramatic one of all. It’s the one race I can watch from 150km to go and be standing in front of the TV the whole time.

“Roubaix is all about power, and being able to recover from big efforts. It’s about being a hard-man. It brings everything full circle with me finishing in the velodrome [Phinney is a former track world champion], not to be too cheesy. Characteristically it’s the perfect race for me. You don’t have to be freakishly skinny or light.

“You have to be like a real man! It’s a man thing. Men get really excited about man things. It’s the closest thing we have to being a gladiator. No guy that has won Roubaix or even come close to winning Roubaix is a wimp, is what I’m trying to say!”

This article originally appeared in the March 27 issue of Cycling Weekly magazine.

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Read the full interview in the November edition of Cycle Sport magazine, available now

Taylor Phinney is due to be reunited with a first love from Sunday at Milan-San Remo. The Monument marks the start of the spring classics that Phinney holds in the same high esteem as the Olympics and UCI Road World Championships.

Paris-Roubaix is closest to the 23 year old’s competitive heart but second is La Classica di Primavera, which features a retro route more suitable to sprinters this season.

Phinney braved freezing conditions at the Italian race last year where he made a solo move off the Poggio to tack onto the front group in the closing kilometers and finish seventh. It was the best result for an American at a one-day race since 2002.

The fourth-year professional is one of the most entertaining riders in the WorldTour but in contrast not yet self-assured enough to wholly consider, or put himself forward, as a BMC classics leader, or co-leader.

“I mean, with me a lot of it is mental. If I’m feeling really confident - that is I’ve been racing really well and riding really well - then I’m not afraid of that,” Phinney told Cycling Weekly. “We’ll have to see.”

The Colorado native has adopted a pragmatic approach to his spring campaign, preparation for which began in late October. He moved from Italy to Nice, where there is a more “international” community, in the off-season and made a big but worthwhile investment in hiring a personal soigneur. Phinney also officially began working with Sky coach turned BMC consultant Bobby Julich.

“There hasn’t been any crazy days where I’m trying to simulate any classics over the winter,” he said. “Basically, I set down a proper build-up with Bobby that started on October 31st and, you know, we pretty much laid out the training and my race schedule all the way leading up to Roubaix. I’ve been able to knock out every single day of that except for when I was kind of struggling a bit after the Kuurne crash.”

Phinney won his first stage race title, as a professional, at February’s inaugural Dubai Tour in which he never relinquished the Versace leader’s jersey after winning the opening 9.9km time trial.

“There was a lot of attention on it being the first year,” he said. “It was a short race but a big step up for me to jump into that role, lean on the team and also perform for them.”

Confidence was high and Phinney had a free role at the March 1 Het Nieuwsblad where he finished seventh with teammate Greg Van Avermaet, who is a frontrunner to lead BMC at the Tour of Flanders, second. However, he hit a hurdle the following day crashing out of Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and injuring his knee that required double stitches, the last of which came out at this month’s fraught Paris-Nice.

Phinney surprisingly opted to race Paris-Nice instead of Tirreno-Adriatico, which featured a team and individual time trial, his specialty, in the run to San Remo. The Race to the Sun was meant to be a “dress rehearsal” for the Tour de France but turned into a training run when compatriot Tejay van Garderen abandoned due to illness on the first day.

Phinney lost some more skin there in a stage two crash where “struggle bus” became part of his vernacular. However, there is no indication the 6'5" personality won’t be firing on all cylinders come the weekend and throughout April.

“Paris-Nice is really good preparation for the classics. It’s better preparation than Tirreno because it’s eight road stages as opposed to five road stages,” he said.

Phinney joins a growing chorus of riders unhappy with the varying Milan-San Remo course but the exclusion of Pompeiana, which would have seen the event favour climbers, and Le Manie won’t hurt his chances.

“I’m not a huge fan of them continually trying to change things because it starts to suit one type of rider. All these races they’re kind of starting to shoot the guy who can sprint from a small group,” he said. “I’ve been doing a lot of sprints in training, not necessarily for San Remo, just because it’s something I have the physical capability to be good at. A nice sprint is always a good thing to have at the end of a race so I’m excited for San Remo and we’ll see how the game plan goes.

"It’s going to be a bit different this year obviously. I think the weather in Europe is much better so that changes things too.”

Paris-Roubaix however remains the one-dayer Phinney really wants to win over, even though it's incredibly high maintenance.

“It’s a race that sorts itself out pretty well over time. At this point I have yet to make that front group when it goes but that’s my biggest goal,” he said.

“You’re basically trying to not ruin the race for yourself by crashing or spending too much energy by being too far up or back. Then, when the time comes, you have to have the legs to respond and make that front group. From there it’s a whole different story of trying to win the race.”

Follow @SophieSmith86

Taylor Phinney won the Dubai Tour stage one time trial today to take the first Versace-designed leader’s jersey of the inaugural race.

The 23 year old best BMC teammate Steven Cummings and Lasse Norman Hansen (Garmin-Sharp) to take line honours at the end of the 9.9km circuit in which he reportedly averaged 490 watts over twelve minutes and three seconds. Cummings was 14 seconds adrift with London Olympic omnium champion Hansen a further two seconds in arrears.

Riders competed on road, and not time trial, bikes because of logistical reasons.

The tour continues tomorrow with a highly anticipated 122km flat stage from Dubai to Palm Jumeirah that will see the fastest sprinter of the 2013 Tour de France, Marcel Kittel (Giant-Shimano) compete against Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) for the first time this season.

Dubai Tour 2014, stage one: Dubai, 9.9km
1. Taylor Phinney (USA) BMC in 12-03

2. Steve Cummings (GBr) BMC at 14 secs

3. Lasse Norman Hansen (Den) Garmin-Sharp at 16 secs

4. Tony Martin (Ger) Omega Pharma-Quick Step at 22 secs

5. Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Trek at 26 secs

6. Peter Sagan (Svk) Cannondale at 31 secs

7. Adriano Malori (Ita) Movistar at 32 secs

8. Maciej Bodnar (Pol) Cannondale at 35 secs

9. Alexander Orsev (Rus) Katusha

10. Peter Velits (Svk) BMC at 37 secs

British

37. Mark Cavendish (GBr) Omega Pharma-QuickStep at 54 secs

51. Alex Dowsett (GBr) Movistar at 1-04

Overall classification after stage one

1. Taylor Phinney (USA) BMC in 12-03

2. Steve Cummings (GBr) BMC at 14 secs

3. Lasse Norman Hansen (Den) Garmin-Sharp at 16 secs

This time last year the Universe was imparting signs to Taylor Phinney.

The charismatic American spotted a pink Fiat 500 as he departed for the Giro d'Italia. The weather was good and he was allocated favourite race number 44 before the Herning prologue.

Phinney as early as February had identified the 8.7km opener as a personal objective ahead of what was his Giro debut. And on the day he was bang on target besting Geraint Thomas (Sky) by nine seconds to win the first maglia rosa, which he wore for three days.

Phinney was guided slightly off course on the final stage but finished the 28.2km time trial in Milan and with that his first full Grand Tour. He didn't race again until the Olympic Games, where he was fourth in both the elite men's road race and time trial, instead embarking on a series of training camps in Boulder, Colorado. It was after those camps that Phinney's father, Davis, the 1984 Olympic Games team time trial bronze medalist and two-time Tour de France stage winner, said: "I'm really excited to see what he can do in his next Grand Tour."

That brings us, again, to the Giro, which opens Saturday with a 130km flat stage in Naples before Sunday's 17.4km team time trial. Phinney's BMC outfit has confirmed a strong line-up that will assemble together in Italy today ahead of the first Grand Tour of the 2013 season.

"I'm a completely different bike rider than I was last year," Phinney told Cycling Weekly from Italy.

"I'm about three kilos lighter than I was last year going into the Giro. I have one Grand Tour under my belt already so I know that I can finish this race and that's already huge for the confidence."

Former Tour de France champion Cadel Evans headlines the BMC squad that also includes Britain's Adam Blythe and Steve Cummings, as well as Steve Morabito, Daniel Oss, Ivan Santaromita, Klaas Lodewyck and Danilo Wyss.

Evans has not identified the Giro as a major target, with his focus still firmly locked on the Tour, but racing there will be integral to his form later in the year and the Australian will be protected by teammates. Phinney has also thrown up Blythe's name for the sprint stages.

There is a small chance, which is better than no chance, Phinney could again wear the maglia rosa after the team time trial, although that's not the priority for the 22-year-old this year.

"These three week races are so important for bike riders because they're just so incredibly unnatural that they change your body almost completely," he continues. "You learn so much in these early couple of years. I don't know if I'll ever stop learning about myself, and about the sport, but I'm much more confident.

"I'm not quite as excited for my own personal success, I'm excited for the team's aspirations with Cadel and I think we have a really great group. We have Adam Blythe coming in and I'm pretty committed to trying to get him through his first Grand Tour because I think it will change him as a rider in the same way it changed me."

Phinney was down to compete at the Tour of Romandy, a traditional lead-in, last month but opted instead to stay at his Italy base and prepare. He was third in the weekend's Giro della Toscana in what has thus far been a busy season including most of the Classics up to Paris-Roubaix where he finished 23rd.

"I had a good time racing this weekend. One of the races was really close to my house, GP Industria & Artigianato Larciano, and then Sunday was Toscana, which was a race I knew I could do relatively well in," he said.

"I had a flash of thinking, ‘Oh man, I'm going to win this race.' Then having two guys [Mattia Gavazzi and Ivan Rovny] come by me right at the end was a little bit heartbreaking, but it's good too. I haven't felt that way in a road race in a long time and I'm still missing that big professional road race win."

Phinney is adept at time trialing - he won silver at his second senior world titles last season - but has downplayed his chances in the individual events at the Giro. The first is a 54.8km race against the clock on May 11, which will be important for the genuine pink jersey contenders. The second is a shorter 19.4km run to Polsa in the final week.

"The long time trial is a bit complicated because it is quite demanding, it's got some hills and it finishes up like a 4K climb," he said. "It's not the perfect time trial for me, especially considering that [Sky's Olympic champion Bradley] Wiggins will be around.

"If I have an opportunity I think it's looking for a stage win somewhere whether it's in a breakaway or select group sprint. [That's] kind of the biggest goal other than just finishing the race outright."

Twitter: @SophieSmith86

Related links

Giro d'Italia 2013: Coverage index

Giro d'Italia 2013: Who will win?

Giro d'Italia 2013: Start list tracker

Giro d'Italia 2013: The Big Preview