EMERGING COMMUNITY LEADER
American Cyclist, Boulder
This award recognizes a young community leader who has demonstrated professional excellence and positive impact on the community and serves as an example for future generations. Taylor Phinney is reknown for his laid back persona, tenacity on the bike and leadership among his international teammates. The Colorado native is the son of two Olympians. His father, Davis Phinney, was the first American to win a road stage at the Tour de France. His mother, Connie Carpenter, won the first Olympic women’s road race in 1984. Phinney followed in his family foot-steps early in his career, making his Olympic debut at the age of 18 in Beijing. Four years later, Phinney won the opening stage of the Giro d’Italia, Italy’s biggest race, and wore the coveted maglia rosa donned by the Giro’s race leader. He’s raced in the stars and stripes of the US national time trial champion. He’s won bike races in Poland, Holland and UAE, Colorado, California and Utah. A crash at 60 miles an hour during the US National Road Championships left Phinney with a potentially career-ending fractured leg. Phinney was told by doctors he might never ride again. He rode. And he raced. He finished his first Tour de France with Cannondale-Drapac, Colorado’s WorldTour cycling team, this past July, where he spent a day atop the King of the Mountains classification, supported teammate Rigoberto Urán to second place and produced daily video diaries for NBC. Three years after Phinney missed out on his planned Tour debut, he climbed onto the podium to claim the coveted polka-dotted mountains classification jersey. Phinney’s comeback showed the world what the Colorado pioneer spirit is all about.