Men’s cycling: Taylor Phinney, United States

BEIJING – Taylor Phinney already talks about the 2012 Olympics. He doesn’t talk about if he’ll compete in London. He talks about when he will compete.

The future helped ease his pain in the present. Phinney finished seventh in men’s individual pursuit.

Phinney, a Boulder, Colo., resident, never had a serious chance in his heat against New Zealand’s Hayden Roulston. He finished in 4 hours, 26 minutes, 6.44 seconds – 5 seconds off his personal best.

The opening rounds, he said, left him worn down. He found himself wishing the race was shorter.

“That’s not a good sign,” he said.

But Phinney immediately began talking about 2012. He turned 18 in June and so much appears ahead. Phinney’s finish was America’s best in the pursuit since 1984 when Steve Hegg won gold.

Phinney is the son of Davis Phinney, the first American to win a stage at the Tour de France, and Connie Carpenter-Phinney, who won a road race gold medal in the 1984 Olympics.

Colorado Springs (Colo.) Gazette