Chasing Taylor Phinney

Connie is chasing Taylor on the World Cup circuit in his bid to qualify for Beijing in the 4k individual pursuit (learn more about the pursuit) event on the track. To do so, he must score points in the World cups and the World championships held between November 30 and March 30. Herewith is the tale...:

Read Connie's Entries:
Sydney - November 2007
Beijing - December 2007
Los Angeles - January 2008
Copenhagen - February 2008

>> Read about Taylor's Travels in his own words

All the buzz is in the infield as the Track World Cups get under way Friday morning. The track is outside Sydney, further than the Olympic Park complex - in a quiet zone known as Bass Hill.

Taylor Phinney in pursuit.
Photo: PhotoSport International

It's familiar but oh so strange to be here in - my first trip to Oz. Everyone is rolling. At noon (noon Friday is 6pm MST), we counted 60 riders on the rollers while the seemingly endless heats (18 heats) of women's pursuits rolled onward. I say endless because the competition is only 3 hours old and already 30 minutes behind schedule. No fault of the organizers only that there are more riders than expected.

It's an Olympic year so the stakes are higher and every point counts in these world cup races. There are over 20 US riders here, many with professional teams and only six listed officially with the US Team.

Eagerly awaiting Sarah Hammer's ride, I watch a steady onslaught of sub 3'40" efforts. But knowing that she's the world record holder, the world champion, and definitely the rider to mark - having a bit of trouble at the start, she has her coach realign the bike. Once off, she pops a 1'15" first kilometer, well of the mark and has to fight her way back. Her ride partner Wendy Houvenaghel takes her by less than a tenth and with it the fourth slot. (Only 4 riders qualify). What happened to the Champ? Coming back from a summer back injury, her form is still on the rise. The gear felt simply too big today and though she fought back, it wasn't enough.

It's a fast track here in Sydney. Why? As compared to LA which is climate controlled, this one is more open to the environment and it is nearly summer. A hot track is a faster one because the air is less dense. Less dense air, less resistance, more speed. However today, race day is much slower than previous training days.

Taylor's not the only Junior from Aguascalientes here. Aussie World Champs Josephine Tomic and Travis Meyer are also here but not riding Pursuit. Prior to the race, Taylor let me know that he was not as nervous as me and though I felt relaxed to begin with - I started to feel antsy. Lots of helping hands here - mechanics, coaches, soigneurs, Taylor's sister Kelsey and even a surprise visit by his Boulder Coach Neal Henderson who was flying through to Perth today and took a cab to the track in order to see his young protégé ride.

In the second pair with Vladimir Tuychiev (Uzbekistan). Still new to pursuiting, Taylor's goal was to break 4'30" as his training times indicated that even a 4'25" could be possible. Having only two pursuits in competition to his credit, he wanted to test himself and went out flying fast, opening with a 1.07" kilometer - about 3 seconds faster than schedule. When the announcer remarked that his 3k time put him 3 seconds faster than the winner of the Junior Worlds (his time 3'20, the winner in Aguascalientess 3:23) - and with the Uzbek rider in sight - Taylor did what he could to hold on and finish with a 1.08 kilometer and a final time of 4.28.76. A PR by 6 seconds.

So how does the Junior World Champion feel? Disappointed at first, as he'd hoped for a better time but as rider after rider rolls in slower than him - he's realizing that his time was good, if not great.

Taylor possesses a beginner mind. He's not afraid to visualize success. He's not afraid to go for the top.

Stay tuned.

Beijing World Cup - December 2007

Lucky Beijing.

Our flight from Sydney should have been simple. Nothing is simple however with 5500 miles (10,000 km) to cover. We were late leaving due to an equipment change and the fact that our flight was carrying 40 pieces of EXTRA baggage left over from Monday.... when the mass exodus occurred - 400 cyclists and their gear traveled from Sydney to Beijing.

Our nonstop flight required an unscheduled stop to refuel because we were too heavy. Darwin. Darwin? Darwin is in fact in Australia, the Northern most tip. We fly in daylight across the scorched earth that is internal Australia. No life visible from 30,000 feet. Like Utah only more vast. I understand the saltwater crocodiles in Darwin are big & plentiful. Happily, not expediently, we head north.

We arrive Beijing finally at midnight but it would be another 3 hrs before we were to sleep. Being corralled by the Good Luck Beijing volunteers, herding us from checkpoint to luggage to the bus that we did not want. No NO NO - we had our own transport. We did not want to go to the Velodrome. Nononono, please let us go to the Holiday Inn and to sleep.

The airport was smoky, SMOKY. This made our sinus' twitch. Aye. Fields burning, eyes watering. Beijing at midnight. Cold, Beijing - like Boulder is on the 40th parallel. Nothing parallel about Beijing though. Circuitous at best. Yet in the early hours of the morning, the roads are full of trucks and vehicles, and even bikes. It is very very cold & the cyclists seem out of place, and under-dressed. Oddly, people wander out into the streets at all times and on the busiest of roads. So many Chinese, are they dispensable? They act as if they are. Incredulous. We motor onward, finally turning into our hotel. Finally finding our bed. Finally, asleep.

The first of only two days in Beijing finds me & Kelsey venturing out on a pre-organized private tour of the Wall, the Forbidden City and a little shopping. Here's what I learn. The wall is old but it's also new, rebuilt in the 70's to preserve it as it was starting to turn to dust. It's an impressive site spanning hilltops all around us. I'm imagining its many uses over the centuries. How many men walked this way, how many lost their lives? I don't know much about ancient Chinese history, more about the Mao era. In those years that the Wall fell to rubble and was then rebuilt. Our guide tells us that twenty scientists will spend twenty years unearthing all the many spurs of the wall to determine its actual length.

I know it is visible from space. On this precious clear blue-sky day, I give a wave skyward to anyone who might be watching.

Taylor of course, has no time to sightsee with us, he ventures to the track for training. We find each other late that day. And he looks great. None the worse for wear, instead - he's excited and rejuvenated and ready to race. Yes!

Inside the Laoshan Velodrome it is warm, very warm. The floor is heated. It is parching however for the athletes, dry - very very dry. It is also very very beautiful. No expense spared, 200 million dollars is the price tag to complete this project.

The Laoshan dome reminds me of the Roman Pantheon, a massive dome built despite all odds 2000 years ago. All that's missing here beside the antiquity - is the Pantheon's central hole - the ocular - exposing the sun and stars. Here in Beijing, the stars are on the track. While the Pantheon was built to praise Roman gods, in modern times - this domed structure will allow its gods to do battle. And so it begins.

The first friendly face I encounter inside the infield is Ali Shanks, a New Zealander who spent a month in Boulder this summer. She's a former netball player and new to the cycling scene. She's good. Sixth in Sydney, she's shooting for top four here in Beijing. However when I stumble on her, I note bandages on her knees and a grimace on her face. She's been crashed by another rider in the warm-up and separated her shoulder. Determined to race, she knows she can pedal but how will she manage the start? I note that luckily it's her left or uphill shoulder so it will take less pressure. I leave her with her coaching staff to sort out the details. Later, when she does attempt to start - she literally falls over, as she's unable to grasp the bar with her right arm and pull upward. But in her restart she wills herself to get it right, she stays upright, gets the bike going quickly and only loses a second on the first lap, finishing a very respectable 9th. Gutsy ride.

I move on. Find our little zone, known as a 'cabin,' it's really just a cubicle. USA cubicle. Always small, a bit humbling. Every team strives to make their cubicle comfortable. Ours is packed - bikes, food, coolers, wrenches, and bodies. I sit it out in a vacant cubicle. Events are behind schedule. The timing device is not working, time passes. We wait.

I go looking for a media pass. It's easy to get lost in the bowels of the building. It's a labyrinth for sure. "Upgrade" card the media manager asks? Yes please, upgrade me. And he gives me the code for the wifi on China mobile. We are trying to go online to let Davis watch Taylor's race from home. The world is smaller, we're more in touch and yet we feel very far from home.

Taylor is paired with a well-known German track specialist, Robert Bartko - a former world champ at this distance. He's just won the Ghent six-day. What chance does Taylor have with this cycling god? We wonder if Taylor will be caught, lapped. How will he react? Will he be demoralized?

We aren't prepared for Taylor to be the one to get off to his usual fast start, and almost have his opponent in his sights after 2 kilometers and show no sign of fading. Riding the same relatively small gear as Sydney, and maintaining a cadence above 120 - Taylor again drops his personal best time by 5 seconds, finishing in 4:24.364, defeating Bartko by 6 seconds. Averaging 35 mph, or about 16.2 second laps for the 250 meter slick wood track. For you power meter folks, that's well over 600 watts average.

Current World and Olympic Champion Bradley Wiggins, is up next and comes through less than two seconds faster than T. I expect Bradley Wiggins to be faster. Taylor barely stays in the hunt to make the final four when New Zealander Marc Ryan rides a 4.24.444. When the Ukraine Dyudya and the Russian Serov both eclipse T's time - it's official - he's made it into the top 4 but only by a margin of one tenth of a second.

Warming down, Taylor is calm. He's happy that he qualified for the top four. Taylor, Kelsey and I go back to the hotel to relax for a few hours before he rides off for 3rd place. I know T's mind-set and he doesn't allow himself to consider anything but going for the win. He eats some rice, drinks lots of fluids and some warm refueling mix. His throat is parched, he says like a fireball incinerated in the back of his mouth.

Back in the stadium a few hours later, he's all business warming up. I'm nervous but stay back trying to absorb the stress for T or maybe he it simply doesn't register with him. He does not thrive on nerves. He thrives on the competition.

Andy Sparks is the endurance coach here in Beijing. His protégé and fiancé - world champion Sarah Hammer has just finished 3rd, but clocked the fastest time in the final. He's thrilled. He guarantees me that he'll give Taylor the same attention that he's given her. I believe him. He's a straight shooter, eager to be part of what he calls the 'fusion' coaching dynamic. Taylor has so many good influences right now, none overtly demanding the credit but happy to provide assistance.

And then there's Viggo - the big motherly Norwegian god of soigneurs. He's the mother lode of support. Generous, capable, serious, good-natured, invisible when he has to be - that's Viggo. He was in Mexico when Taylor won and we're so happy he's here trackside as well.

When it comes time for T's ride - we dial up Davis in Colorado. It's the middle of the night for him but he wants to be here as best he can. We aim the Mac camera on the track and the gun fires.

T is off to his usual fast start. Taylor leads - after one kilometer he has a second lead. Serov puts on a charge and rides his second kilo very very fast, by the halfway point, Taylor is down by a full second and they are riding almost the same pace. But then inexplicably, Taylor starts to take him back. With nine laps to go Taylor has .7 to make up. With three laps to go, T is within .3 and with one lap to go - it's anyone's race. I scream and watch the scoreboard.

Gunshots. The traditional end of the pursuit is marked by a single gunshot for each rider as he (she) crosses the line. The scoreboard reveals his fate. I absorb the news; he's lost by .1. He rides the lap, looks up and also realizes the news - bitter disappointment mixed with a little anger, but he's ridden the second fastest pursuit of his short pursuiting career.

Eye to Eye

The Soviet, Serov, is gassed; you can see that Taylor pushed him to the limit.

Wiggins and the Ukraine Dyuda take the stage. In an impressive back and forth battle with a very rapid last set of laps - Wiggins takes charge with a lap and one-half to go and wins with half second to spare. Impressive, mature ride.

The night isn't over. Still to come; the celebration for the top 3 on the podium. Taylor takes the opportunity to walk to each of the riders in their team's cubicles and congratulate them. Perhaps to me, his mom, this was as impressive as anything he had done that day. He'd risen to the Gods and behaved as one to boot. Mature. Graceful in defeat.

You done good T. The race is on. Stay tuned!

We flew to LA Wednesday to catch up with Taylor who is already there. He chose to sleep in Wednesday (a special training technique peculiar to teenagers) and skip the morning track session. He'll have a hard ride Thursday and we'll be there to observe. I've already gone shopping to make dinner in the suite T shares with Mike Friedman. We strive to bring normalcy wherever we go.

Taylor Phinney, Los Angeles 2008
Photo: Mitch Friedman, www.mitchophoto.com

The last month has been challenging. T has not ridden outside since we left Sydney in November en route to Beijing and back to the Northern Hemisphere. It's winter in Colorado, so of course it's cold outside. He fills his days with school, hanging out with friends, xBox, and a very focused daily training session rarely lasting over an hour. While he might occasionally do two sessions per day & the intensity is sometimes over the top (big watts) - it's still just training on a trainer (or the rollers). And he's still just Taylor. Senior in High School. Cool, calm, and confident.

As Allen Lim says, track is an indoor sport so you might as well keep the training inside. Neal Henderson has the keys to the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine and a plethora of indoor training options in the cycling studio. It's easier to stay healthy and focused riding indoors but of course the risk is that it's boring or worse, nonproductive.

We spent Christmas Eve ice skating and opening gifts and enjoying life. Just the four of us. Christmas day was spent with dear friends in Beaver Creek, and the day following with family in Boulder. It's all low-key and it is all good. New Year's eve found us all at home - watching movies, looking at myspace - at 11:55pm - all 4 of us huddled in the kitchen over a bottle of the bubbly (Sparkling Cider!) and T dropped the ball (in this case, a plastic globe ball given to him after the Worlds Win in August) and we toasted....the New Year, each other, and then said good night. Our family definitely sets the standard for different...but for us - what a treat to be happily at home with the kids.

Specific track training was prescribed and planned for just after the new year. But this trip would be special, including a mission to the San Diego wind tunnel. Andy Sparks, USA Cycling endurance coach made the introductions and contacts with the fine minds in San Diego with whom he routinely works (geniuses Kraig Willett, www.biketechreview.com, and Dave Sanford, www.lswt.com) - and he encouraged as much time in the wind tunnel as possible. This time, two hour appointment was made courtesy of Felt.

It was Dad's turn to fly to Orange County with Taylor - with the primary goal of getting the new FELT TK1 dialed in. Luckily - it all came together with Felt - and the kid worked through a variety of positions with the goal of defining, finding and 'feeling' his most aerodynamic position.

That was Thursday Jan 3. After a quick dinner, the boyz returned to our favorite retreat in Laguna at Chez Deem where they caught some quick winks before hitting 3 hard days on the LA velodrome at the Home Depot Center with Roger Young. These intensive weekends have been a solid key for T in his pursuit of the pursuit....and began last labor day when T was first introduced to the track. The best part - or the most fun part for a race horse like Taylor is the opportunity to do a solid block of mass start races including 2 scratch races and 2 points races. This time, several of the teams preparing for the World Cups were in attendance which made the rides more fun and more competitive. T rocked - and had a great rivalry going with the Polish National team riders. He won a couple of the races, pushed himself to new limits and had fun too. Just as important to his prep, it appeared that the lap times were right where they needed to be in training and the bike felt great....or should I say Felt bike felt great.....!?

The boys returned to Boulder on the 6th and began the 12 day countdown for LA. T had set a high standard for himself. He wanted to qualify in the top 2 so as not to repeat the disappointing 4th place finish that he had in Beijing. Not so secretly, he simply wanted to win.

We knew the big man Wiggins (defending World and Olympic Champ) would not be in LA. We did not know who else would show or no-show.

When the pairings came in Thursday night, it was clear that T's chances were good - as the top 3 from Beijing were no-shows. But the field was good, including several of the top ten from the Worlds and World Rankings. He was paired in the 11th and next to last pair.

Friday was a long day, made longer by one of the most spectacular and brutal crashes I've seen in a very long time. The Team Sprint is a powerhouse event where 3 sprinters each take a lap (from a standing start). Sheer brawn. Pure power. But on top of that, is trust. The riders have to trust each other as they motor out of the start house and in single file. The last rider tucked behind the second, head down and going full gas. In the qualifying heats, teams start on each (opposite) side of the track. The start gate did not open for the Korean Team but the officials failed to shoot the gun in time for the opposing Team - the Russians - to react. Therefore, imagine a locomotive running into a wall. This was what it looked like as the third rider from Russian plowed into the back of the poor Korean rider stuck in the start gate. The officials cleared the deck, but the two riders were on the deck. I was certain that the Russian was dead. It was a long ten minutes before he moved, and amazingly - within twenty minutes - though obviously shaken, in pain, and ghostly white - he walked from the track to the infield where he was later removed by stretcher. A concussion and broken arm were the reports I heard (unconfirmed however). One point of levity came when the Russian coach sprinted over to grab the number off the fallen rider so he could substitute another rider in the re-ride. The Russians by the way, managed 5th place and the Korean rider returned to ride the re-ride. All of this of course slowed the flow of events down and as they were scheduled to go before the pursuit qualifying rides - this set Taylor's timing back. Unphased, he listened to music, chatted with teammates, and stayed on task.

As the pursuiters lined up, I moved to the stands and out of the fray. Meanwhile a growing entourage gathered in the USA corner. Sponsors, media, microphones, booms, and coaches...all eyes on T.

One by one the riders took a whack at the times, an early ride of 4:30 by a relatively unknown Moscow rider let us know that T needed to hit his goal of a sub 4:28 in order to crack the top 4. Former World Champion Bradley McGee (CSC) was expected to give a show (he won silver in Athens in this event & gold in the team pursuit) but hit 4:31 and would definitely be out of contention.

Keep in mind that Taylor's personal best time in LA at the Nationals in October was a 4:35...but his training and experience in the previous world cups led all of Team T to expect a sub-4:30 in his ride in LA. Could he do it?

When the Spanish rider and 2004 World Champion Sergi Escobar hit a 4:27 - T knew what he had to do and he went out and did it in convincing fashion - riding a remarkably fast and very consistent 4:25.68 and breaking the track record set by Robert Bartko of Germany. However the final pairing featured a fast ride by the Dutch rider Huizenga who dropped the record to 4:25 flat. T qualified second, good enough!

After a brief warmdown and a few interviews, T settled into enjoy a bowl of sticky white rice with scrambled egg (his favorite per his zen master Allen Lim). Luckily, a friend of the Deems, Kevin Coleman had offered his swank Motorhome for Taylor to use between rides to chill and relax. It was parked nearby. T lay out on the bed in front of the TV for a couple of hours in major decompression mode. It takes a village, thanks to Paul Deem and Kevin for making that happen!

Meanwhile, Taylor's fan club (Zahn family, Greeleaf family, the Goldmans, Bob Cedergreens....) were queued up with a 'tailgate' party of sorts out in another section of the vast Home Depot Center maze of parking lots. Too nervous to eat, I did enjoy the distraction. Thanks guys!!

Back in the velodrome for the final ride....the stands filling but not full and the energy starting to build. T would ride last - at almost ten pm.

What we wouldn't learn until later was that the British Team had filed a protest, challenging T's position on the bike. Taylor stands 6'4" - he is outside the limits as expressed by the regulations and somewhat at the mercy of the Commissaire to make a judgement call on race-day. The Commissaires had signed off on the position for the first ride but the Brits felt the angle of his arm was less than the required 120 degrees. Taylor's team of mechanics and coaches chose wisely to keep this information from all of us and made a modest 1 cm adjustment to appease the judges.

Meanwhile, the kid is back warming up and ready to go full gas for the final ride. His strategy is to not go out too fast, hold something back for the second half. And he did just that - rode the Dutch rider almost perfectly and then dropped the hammer with about 6 laps to go. His final kilo was the fastest of the four and the margin of victory 2 seconds. The crowd was beating on the boards for the final and the energy was super high.

Watching Davis light up across the track was a sight! Joyful moments like these are to be savored.

Later, over a highly craved burger at the In-N- Out, Taylor was asked if his position felt different in the second ride by Allen Lim, and was then told about the British protest. "No, I didn't feel it," he said, munching on french fries.

I said, "interesting that they'd choose to challenge now when nothing was at stake for their rider (who had not made the top 4). If it were poker, I'd say they played their card too soon." Intrigued by their play, I wonder what else is up their sleeves.... Meanwhile, T weighs in.

"Huh" T said and then smiling, "they must be afraid of me."

As well they should be. T is one point out of first place in the World Cup standings and getting faster and more savvy as time passes. Another win, or if he at least beats the Ukraine on top of the standings, would give him an automatic spot in Beijing. Otherwise, we'll wait for the full rankings after the Worlds in Manchester. Despite all the odds, it is starting to look like he might make it to Beijing.

Stay tuned and think good thoughts Feb 15 - Copenhagen.....YES!

Copenhagen. Not exactly a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale.

The Final World Cup is history. Most of you know by now that min-Phin had a bad race by min-Phin standards, finishing tenth in the final event. A virus from early February lingered and probably was the biggest culprit in the less than optimal showing....but it could also have just been too much pressure, a bad day, or some mixture of the three. In any case, here's how it went down.

Danish Guard

We took a chance and flew to LA for a few days training prior to departing for Copenhagen. Knowing he wasn't fully recovered from the virus but hedging that the training block might spark him up - we took the plunge. The training went beautifully and he was strong! We flew to CPH on Friday the 8th, arriving Saturday the 9th to the grim reality of winter in Scandinavia. Bleak.

The track was located quite literally in a bog about 20 k from downtown Copenhagen. The team stayed in a a hotel called the Zleep. Cute name for a sterile no-frills hotel chain, rooms so small you could hardly walk around the bed....typically euro but with that stark Scandinavian twist. What we didn't know in advance was that the hotel had no restaurant and the team had no car. This meant cyclists walking (cyclists don't walk!) to dinner. We also were not prepared for the strong Danish Kroner (stronger than the euro) which made every meal a financially draining experience and sent many of the athletes to McDonalds where a burger was no bargain (about $15 for a double cheeseburger I'm told). Groceries were outrageously expensive, a coffee was about 8 bucks. Aye. The World cup organizers fed the athletes from the day before the competition and the food was excellent (and free) but those of us who arrived 5 days prior paid the price.

Note to self: next time, fly to warmer climate to acclimate.

On the upside, Denmark is really ideal for cycling, especially commuting. It s entertaining to observe the volume of bike traffic (even in winter) and how incredibly obedient they are with regard to traffic regulations. A very orderly country indeed. One US team member, Bobby Lea, rode his bike to town and was nearly assaulted when he ventured outside the bike path. Civic vigilance rules as I noted that there very few policemen (unlike Italy, which is much more of a police state).

Graffiti

In all it's winter bleakness, Copenhagen did have some charm including some incredible albeit mostly unaffordable shopping. Home to some of the most exquisite modern designs, it was fun to window shop especially in the housewares sections. My mother had an infatuation with Danish design and in our home we had Danish silverware and Danish porcelin - so it was fun for me to be at the source and see the houses of George Jensen and Royal Copenhagen. An almost Keith Harring'esque design caught my attention in the more staid Royal Copenhagen line of porcelin and was a surpris. I was told it was art done by a former television personality (an anchorwoman) who began drawing when she retired from television and is beloved by the Danes. It was fun and light.

The harbor area features an fun mix of old and new, including of course the famous waterbound sculpture of the HC Andersens' little mermaid, several Dutch style windmills and the Royal Palace with Buckingham palace style guards (see photos). For sure it must all look and feel a lot better in summertime. I resisted buying any I Love Copenhagen t-shirts, it just did not fit my mood.

Perhaps what's left unsaid here is that I spent many a dreary Scandinavian winter as a speed skater. Returning, albeit without the skates, reminded me of what was often a bleak time in my previous sporting life (I've had many) when as a teenager I roamed the northern hemisphere in search of good results carried by steel blades over frozen tundra, dressed in lycra. But I digress.

Back at the track which was a beautiful facilty with a fresh roof after the previous one collapsed due to a heavy snow. The temperatures inside the arena were chilly, not conducive for setting top times. T had some good training and his first impression of the track was that the laps seemed short, meaning - he was going very fast. The day before his race, he was flying. His lap times were consistent, consistently fast. All at 16 seconds, all indicating that he might hit the low 4'20's, which could be a personal best. He made it look effortless, easy.

On Valentines day, just before the World Cup, I presented Slipstream teammates Mike Friedman and Taylor with some pink and grey argyle boxers I'd found in town. The Ukraines sitting nearby were enthralled. Not sure if they wanted them too or just had a good laugh.

But he wasn't sleeping well, had a chronic sore throat and generally felt quite tired. Without the sun for stimulus it was almost impossible to adjust to the time change. Everyone felt disoriented. Taylor's hard drive crashed on his mac (the second time in two years) and with it, his main source of companionship, connection and entertainment. Luckily we'd just backed everything up and even luckier for him, he could use my computer. It would have been rough cold turkey without it.

On race day, the stands were only partly full and inside the cavernous arena, it was deathly silent. I went to the stands to cheer for Sarah Hammer in her first pursuit ride and was told to sit down (and basically shut up) by one of the arena officials. Hmm. T got into the groove for his warmup and still optimistically felt he could hit top 4. Sarah went on to place third, and had to satisfy herself with a strong third place and second overall in the World Cup final.

Close Quaters!

In the final pair, Taylor apeared ready. I was in the stands, trying to be obedient (ie, not too loud and no pounding on the boards), and relaying the info to Davis via telephone. But once the gun went off, it became obvious quickly that T was flat, despite hitting the first 6 laps (of 16) on schedule, he started to drift and lose time, eventually finishing 10th. On the backstretch I failed to notice that T ran over three of the sponges low on the track (that keep the rider above the pole line) which definitely threw off his timing. I also failed to notice until later that he'd not put on his lucky gloves. Forgetting the gloves was indicative of his mindframe. Just not quite all there.

Later T commented on how quiet it was in the stadium, and he could hear my cheering which I think is a sign that you're not fully into the race. Better when you don't notice anything, that's when you know you have full focus. I always tell him about the time I was riding to win the world pursuit title in Zurich and I could smell the bratwurst (!) cooking in the stands during the first kilometer, I thought I was doomed! However I did pull it out and get into the game...and win!

For tenth he earned one World Cup point, which tied him for the overall lead with the Ukraine Dudya. Unsure of how the tie would be broken and who would earn the automatic slot to Beijing (only the winner!), we waited. We bided our time until the finals that evening (the Spaniard Escobar rode a very strong race to win). Still no news on who had won overall. I asked the US team and they didn't know. I was urged to ask the commisaires myself. When I went up to the commisaire area, no one seemed to know at first. The Tie could be broken in a couple of manners (but I did not have a rulebook or the internet) - one was by the best results overall (ie, number of wins - the Ukraine had a first and a second, Taylor had a first and a 4th) or by the result in the last race (in that case, Taylor would win as the Ukraine did not show).

Finally we cornered the top UCI track official, who first told us Taylor had lost by a point. When we had him redo the math, he said oh yes - it's a tie - and when he consulted his rules, he proclaimed Taylor the winner! Taylor put on his skinsuit for the presentation and had mom check his hair....only to be told five minutes later that in fact...."I've made a mistake and you're not the winner, sorry."

Sorry?

Taylor asked to review the ruling. And as he said, after reading it 10 times, he understood it.

Outside, T was silent and despondent in the way that only teenagers can be. I was crushed for him, he was crushed. The depth of his disappointment palpable. We both wanted to evaporate into thin air, to simply be somewhere - anywhere - else. But we had some hours left. Time to pack out.

So that was how it played out. Maybe we were just off by one day. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be.

What does it mean now for the min-Phin? He has a very good shot though not automatic - for Beijing if he rides well in Manchester March 26 (the World Championships).

The silver lining to the weekend was that we flew directly back to San Francisco Saturday to make Davis' gala event for the Davis Phinney Foundation and the start of the Tour of California. The DPF raised almost half-million dollars (!) and Taylor got to ride in the team cars following first Bradley Wiggins (Team High Road) and then Fabian Cancellara (CSC) - who finished 2nd and first respectively. That experience - following his idols - put to rest the bad week preceding and fortified his resolve going forward.

Onward! Stay tuned. Thanks for your support, yes!!