Taylor Phinney and Team USA miss medal rounds in Shanghai

Taylor Phinney, a two-time world champion returning to professional cycling after a six-year retirement, faced an early setback at the UCI Track World Championships in Shanghai. Competing as part of the men’s team pursuit squad, Team USA finished seventh in qualifying with a time of 3:51.029.

In the subsequent round, the American quartet—consisting of Phinney, Ashlin Barry, Grant Koontz, and Anders Johnson—improved their time to 3:50.916. However, they were defeated by France by 1.297 seconds, resulting in a seventh-place finish and ending their pursuit of a medal.

Phinney’s return to the track comes after 15 years away from the discipline, motivated by the goal of qualifying for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The result marks a decline from the team’s fourth-place finish at the 2025 World Championships.