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Taylor Phinney's return from retirement ends abruptly at UCI Track World Championships as 'question mark' answered with men's Team Pursuit loss in first round

Taylor Phinney’s highly publicized return to elite cycling after a six-year retirement ended in disappointment at the UCI Track World Championships in Shanghai, where the U.S. men’s team pursuit squad fell short of expectations in their opening heat.

The quartet—comprising Phinney alongside Ashlin Barry, Grant Koontz, and Anders Johnson—failed to advance past the first round, finishing two seconds slower than their 2025 qualifying time and missing the medal round by half a second. Phinney, a 2010 world champion in the individual pursuit, had rejoined the U.S.

program in April with the goal of competing in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, aiming to follow in the footsteps of his parents, Davis Phinney and Connie Carpenter-Phinney, who won medals at the 1984 Games. The team, which had placed fourth in last year’s championships, had set modest expectations ahead of the race, with Phinney acknowledging the uncertainty of their position relative to top competitors like Italy and Denmark, who will now face off for gold and silver on Thursday.

Italy and Great Britain will contest the bronze medal, while France rounds out the podium contenders. Phinney, who had previously shifted focus to road racing after the individual pursuit was dropped from the Olympic program, described his return to the track as emotional, calling it a chance to reunite with the sport’s roots and contribute to the team’s pursuit of Olympic qualification.

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