How a crash helped pro cyclist Taylor Phinney get to the Olympics

By Cator Sparks Published December 21, 2019

Olympic cyclist and lululemon Elite Ambassador Taylor Phinney was born in Boulder, CO on June 27, 1990 to former pro cyclists and Olympic medalists Davis Phinney and Connie Carpentre-Phinny. He began racing bikes at 15, racking up 20 victories in his first season and finishing 7^th in the individual pursuit at the 2008 Beijing Olympics at the age of 18. He went on to claim the 2009 and 2010 World Champion titles in the individual pursuit, and narrowly missed out on medaling at the London Olympics with 4th place finish in both the road race and time trial events.

In February 2014, Taylor crashed on a descent in the US National road race, fracturing his lower leg. After undergoing surgery, Taylor was given a long rehabilitation period- a time he took to investigate interests that had long been sidelined in his cycling career – flying lessons, reading and painting. When he returned to racing in August 2015, he brought with him a renewed love for the sport combined with a unique perspective and earned him a podium finish in the first stage of the Tour of Utah. He went on to play a key role in cinching BMC’s World Championship team time trial victory and helped the USA earn a TT spot for Rio.

Bike — Image used with permission by copyright holder

As for his personal style:

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Jeans: Skinny Black Saint Laurent, preferably worn over the years (and never washed)

Shirts: Denim or Hawaiian/Tiki OR if I must, white T—a nice white T, like lululemon’s 5 Year Basic Tee

Pants: Optional

Suits: Alexander McQueen

Related: This man ran away from Wall Street to build bikes

Shoes: Black Converse High Tops with white sole or black Saint Laurent Chelsea boots

Accessories: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, steel

Outerwear: Raf Simons, Rick Owens for leather

Favorite Cologne: Tom Ford Black Orchid

Your favorite App: Google Maps

Favorite piece of technology: Paint. Yes, PAINT. Titanium white paint was invented less than 100 years ago…

Next tech purchase: Whatever Apple wants me to buy next…

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Cator Sparks was the Editor-in-Chief of The Manual from its launch in 2012 until 2018. Previously, Cator was covering…

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