Taylor Phinney Keeps Olympic Dream Alive with First Track Worlds in 16 Years

Taylor Phinney, Kristen Faulkner, and Ashlin Barry headline Team USA’s selection for the track world championships in Shanghai this month.

The U.S. is sending a deep 17-rider roster to China as USA Cycling looks to build off of the back of unprecedented double-gold success at the recent road worlds in Montréal.

The 19-year-old Barry – who stampeded to solo victory at the U23 road race in Montréal last weekend – is joined by the 36-year-old Phinney in the seven-man endurance squad.

Faulkner leads the women’s team after she finished 21st in both the road race and TT in Montréal. The 33-year-old Olympic and PanAm track champion is joined by five more women on the U.S. endurance team.

USA Cycling is also sending four women to the sprint events after the team recorded a best-ever worlds finish last year in Santiago, Chile.

Phinney’s selection to the worlds team will stoke his dream of making a fairytale return to the Olympic Games.

The Coloradan came out of competitive retirement this spring with the sole mission of making it to L.A. 2028.

Phinney hasn’t raced track worlds since 2010, when he won the individual pursuit and hit the podium in the omnium. However, after winning gold in the U.S. national team pursuit this summer, it’s not out of the question that Phinney adds to a track worlds trophy collection that’s been gathering dust for 16 years.

The UCI track world championships run from October 14 through 18 in Shanghai, China.

USA Cycling 2026 track world championships roster

Women’s Endurance
Kristen Faulkner
Anna Hicks
Bethany Ingram
Megan Jastrab
Emma Jimenez Palos
Stephanie Lawrence

Men’s Endurance
Ashlin Barry
Graeme Frislie
Anders Johnson
Grant Koontz
Peter Moore
Taylor Phinney
Brendan Rhim

Women’s Sprint
Kayla Hankins
Emily Hayes
McKenna McKee
Hayley Yoslov