A high-speed crash at the 2014 U.S. National Championships road race saw Taylor Phinney’s cycling career come to a halt. His broken tibia and fibula from the accident suggested he might never race again. But the champion defied the odds with a comeback in 2015 at the Tour of Utah, followed by a strong 22nd finish at the Rio 2016 Olympics. However, years of injuries forced him into retirement at 29. “I feel like my body sort of made this choice for me,” he sadly declared. But now, seven years later, Phinney has returned to the sport with one goal in mind.
The three-time Olympian wants to race in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and will aim for a spot in the U.S. men’s team pursuit squad. He announced his comeback writing: “NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS could I have predicted this…but here we are 
The old horse still has some kick. ‘COMEBACK3000’.”
“What started as a return to gravel racing has delicately snowballed into a full on Olympic dream. It’s been super fun and rewarding to find the love for training and ripping high speeds again over the past few months,” he added about his journey so far and his preparation.
Phinney then thanked all those who helped him realize his dream:
“Huge thank you to @usacycling and especially @allenskratch for planting this seed of an idea in my brain. I laughed it off at first, but with encouragement from wifey @kasianiewiadoma94 the seed started to grow…”
“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.”
For someone whose Olympic journey actually began long before, it means a lot. Phinney first competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics at just 18, finishing seventh in the individual pursuit on the track. Then he returned to London 2012, where he placed fourth in both the road race and time trial.
And now, he is returning for his fourth Olympics. His mother, Carpenter, commented on his post, “Comeback 2028 slightly less than 3000 but just as exciting- what a gift to want to do this…Wanting is the driver – speaks of love passion and resilience and that describes you @taylorphinney dream on 
.”
Teammates react to Phinney’s shock comeback
Tejay van Garderen, who rode with Phinney at BMC and later EF, couldn’t believe that he was back. He told Domestique, “I learned about it the same way everyone else did… At first, I thought, ‘Is this a joke?’ ‘Am I getting April fooled or something?’”
Van Garderen is rooting for Phinney. “Once I started thinking about it properly, I realised he’ll probably be the best guy on the team if he really takes it seriously, which I know he will,” he said. “He doesn’t do anything if he’s not ready to give it 100%, so I think it’s great. I’m rooting for him. I think it’s a hell of a story.”
Even Larry Warbasse, who began his professional career alongside Phinney at BMC, had a similar reaction to van Garderen. “I’m really surprised, but I would also not be surprised at all to see him do super well,” Warbasse said. “I mean, he is physiologically a huge talent, and he was twice world champion in the individual pursuit before, so I think he’s probably exactly what the US track team needs.”
That belief stems from what Phinney was at his peak. Alongside van Garderen, he was part of a generation expected to lead American cycling forward. In 2012, he won the Giro d’Italia prologue and finished fourth in both the road race and time trial at the London Olympics. Now, with an Olympic target in sight, he will hope to achieve this seven-year-long dream.
