“On the plane to Shanghai, this is really happening. LFG!!” – Taylor Phinney could barely contain his excitement as he prepared for his return to the UCI Track World Championships. After walking away from professional cycling in 2019, the two-time world champion had found an unexpected reason to race again. But his comeback hit an early roadblock in Shanghai, where Team USA finished seventh in the men’s team pursuit and missed out on the medal rounds.

For the 36-year-old, the result was a disappointment. Yet the bigger prize remains within reach: earning a place on the American squad for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. And although the opening test did not go as planned, Phinney’s journey back to the sport’s biggest stage is only beginning.

The Americans entered Wednesday’s competition with hopes of building on their fourth-place finish at the 2025 World Championships. Phinney joined rising star Ashlin Barry, Grant Koontz, and Anders Johnson for the team pursuit, bringing experience to a squad looking to close the gap on cycling’s leading nations.

Team USA first had to survive qualifying, where its time of 3:51.029 placed seventh among 18 countries. That secured a place in the next round, but the Americans needed a stronger performance to challenge for a medal.

They improved slightly in their second ride, clocking 3:50.916 against France. However, the French quartet proved faster, beating the Americans by 1.297 seconds. The defeat left Team USA seventh among the eight teams in that round, ending its medal hopes before Thursday’s finals.

France advanced to the bronze-medal race against Great Britain, while Denmark and Italy secured the gold-medal showdown. For the Americans, the result marked a step backward after last year’s fourth-place finish, which had raised hopes of a revival in a discipline where the country last won a World Championships medal in 1995.

Still, Phinney had never expected the comeback to unfold without challenges. Before racing, he acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding the team’s standing against international opposition. “If we can do a top 5, we’d be happy with that,” he said, adding that the squad would take the competition “one round at a time.”
That measured approach now becomes even more important as the Americans begin their long qualification campaign for Los Angeles.

The result in Shanghai only tells part of Phinney’s story. For years, the American had put elite competition behind him, choosing to explore life beyond cycling after injuries and the demands of professional racing took their toll.

Phinney retired at the end of the 2019 season, aged 29, and turned his attention to art, spending time painting and pursuing other creative interests. He continued to ride recreationally and competed in gravel races, but a return to the track seemed unlikely.

Then came an unexpected phone call last winter. A friend told him that USA Cycling was searching for powerful riders to strengthen its men’s team pursuit program ahead of LA28. Phinney initially struggled to believe that anyone would consider him for the role after years away from the track.

But the suggestion stayed with him. The opportunity carried personal significance, too. His mother, Connie Carpenter-Phinney, won Olympic road race gold at Los Angeles in 1984, while his father, Davis Phinney, claimed bronze at the same Games. The prospect of competing at a home Olympics offered a chance to connect his own career with that family legacy.

In April, Phinney announced his return, admitting that he had never imagined making such a move. He later earned a place in the national program and won team pursuit gold at the US Track National Championships in August, providing a promising start before the World Championships.

A familiar discipline with a different challenge for Taylor Phinney

Phinney’s return also meant adjusting to a sport that had changed considerably during his absence. He won consecutive individual pursuit world titles in 2009 and 2010, but modern team pursuit demands different positioning, equipment, and tactics.

Speaking before the Shanghai competition, he reflected on how dramatically the discipline had evolved. “The technology has changed quite a lot, especially in team pursuit,” he explained, noting that riders now adopt much more compact positions than they did during his earlier career.

Despite those changes, the American felt comfortable back among the elite. “This is my first race back. It feels good, it feels like coming home. It’s fun riding with the guys,” he said.

His return also gives the United States a valuable combination of experience and emerging talent. Barry, who recently won the U23 road race world title, represents the next generation, while Phinney brings memories of an era when American cycling regularly challenged for major honors. However, despite the recent result, the road to LA28 is far from over for Phinney and his team.

Team USA’s seventh-place finish leaves little room for complacency, especially with only eight nations per gender set to qualify for the Olympic team pursuit in Los Angeles. The qualification campaign runs through April 2028, giving the Americans several opportunities to improve their position.

The 2027 World Championships and the upcoming World Cup rounds will offer crucial chances to collect points and measure their progress against established powers such as Denmark, Great Britain, Australia, and Italy.

For Phinney, the immediate disappointment does not erase what he has already achieved by returning to the sport. Just a year ago, he was focused on life outside professional cycling. Now, he has competed at a World Championships again and is chasing an Olympic dream he once considered closed.

Shanghai did not deliver the comeback result he wanted. But with LA28 still ahead, the American’s return is far from finished.