Taylor Phinney Interview
Shorter Taylor Phinney: Lots more support with Trek-Livestrong than with Felt, but I didn't really race with Felt. Plus, you test better when you train more.
Hope to see great things from him in the future . . .
about 1 year ago
Softie
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Re Lance
He’s getting old, man. He hangs out with a lot of old people.
Brilliant
by Hons on Jan 12, 2009 5:43 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
it's all relative
what’s old to someone taylor’s age?
"Wizard's first rule. People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true." -- Terry Goodkind
by umwolverine on Jan 12, 2009 6:11 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
“Everyone rides it differently because it sucks so much and it’s so hard. It’s sort of like stabbing yourself in the legs and you have to figure out what the best way to stab yourself is. People can’t tell you how to do that because it’s stabbing yourself and it sucks. You know, it’s painful — you’re stabbing yourself in the legs.”
That boy is a cycling prophet, wise beyond his years.
by Ryan_Liles on Jan 13, 2009 2:27 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
whoa
That was a much more interesting interview than I expected. Phinney comes off as, hmm, how do I want to say it, entitled, I guess, in this interview. Interesting to see how his season goes.
by gavia on Jan 13, 2009 5:22 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Yeah I agree.
He went and did his own thing all year and then kept alluding to some magical lack of support from VMG. The encouraging thing is he seems to realize he’s got some growing up to do. I just hope it actually happens and he doesn’t turn into a spoiled brat monster. That would be a shame.
by Ed K on Jan 13, 2009 6:51 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Entitled? Wise beyond his years?
Interesting. How I understand the phrase. “wise beyond his years” and the word, “entitled” they are two very different things. One is a sign of respect (the phrase) and the other is a slap in the face.
You don’t have to folks, but gavia and Ryan, would you care to elaborate on the very different things you two are reading here? Not saying either of you are wrong.
by ursula on Jan 13, 2009 5:50 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
My interpretation of the interview was . . .
. . . . with the understanding this was an 18 yo kid who has entered not only into the world of professional racing but has already demonstrated a level of capability that deserves respect.
I did not see entitlement anywhere in the interview.
What I saw was a kid, who is still a kid, but he is well balanced, confident, and much more articulate then most 18 yo’ds I have encountered.
I would like to think this is partly due to his parents.
With respect to the ‘wise beyond his years’ statement was really with respect to his realization that he has to figure out how to stab himself in the legs the best way he can on his own and nobody can really tell him how to do this cause it is his legs he is stabbing.
I happen to think that it is rare for a person of that age to come to this realization, and it is good to see.
by Ryan_Liles on Jan 13, 2009 7:47 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I left it out of my initial post to avoid controversy,
but you asked. I think he came off as a bit entitled.
He complains about JV’s development squad (used bikes), then says he didn’t race with the team.
He also says that he was only training 8-10 hours per week last year. Now he’s training twice as much. I don’t know how much training an 18-year-old can safely do, but people still think that Lemond didn’t train enough, and he put in 20-24 hours per week. This kid is clearly not (yet) another Eki.
Finally, saying that you’re built for the Tour of Flanders lays down quite a marker, I think. We’ll see where he goes—-it’s way too early to pass judgment on his riding at age 18—-but I’d like to both hope he wins the Ronde and also develops a more Dave Z-like interviewing style.
by Softie on Jan 14, 2009 9:52 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I think the section you are focusing on is “We don’t get hand-me-downs to race with. We get the prime stuff, you know what I’m saying? I like it a lot, because I don’t like being left out.”
I took this not as entitled, but as an 18 yo kid stoked he is getting all the cool stuff this year.
But then again, I feel he should feel entitled.
This kid is a 4 time national champion at the elite level.
2 time junior world champion.
To my knowledge, the only US male in recent history to even win an elite World Cup race on the track.
How many other guys from the Garmin team can you name that achieved palmares that are relative to this in the last 2 year?
He had a bad Olympics and came in 7th, but I don’t recall too many US guys doing a whole hell of a lot better.
So yeah, I think he has a right to feel entitled to receive the best stuff in order to do his job the best he can.
Eki? You’ve gotta be kidding me.
You are trying to compare a Russian who at 18 was on the national team during the peak of the cold war ’cause his only other option was probably to join the army, or the mafia, and kid from Davis, Ca in 2009 who has both parents that are financially comfortable and whom both competed at the world level?
Oh and Lemond acted like he was entitled when he was 18 too.
This has been well documented.
by Ryan_Liles on Jan 14, 2009 12:00 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
From the world of Twitter
Phinney Twitters about reaction to his interview.
Lance also reports that Vande Velde is Twittering now, too.
And posts a pic of himself and Hincapie having a beer in Adelaide.
Google is my domestique.
by majope on Jan 15, 2009 7:41 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
hmm, interesting
interesting that the “reaction to his interview” link is no longer there …
by guidemd on Jan 17, 2009 3:36 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
From what I gather (and I read few before the post was removed)
many of the comments were quite insulting and abusive. The post only said “A whole bunch of this interview makes me feel a little uneasy about him.” about the Phinney interview and that was it.
A more over-reaction by the ‘fans’ and that makes me feel a little uneasy.
by lyne on Jan 17, 2009 3:59 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Insulting and abusive comments toward Phinney or the twitter poster?
by gavia on Jan 17, 2009 6:11 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
When I posted the link the comments were similar to the ones here
Along the lines of Phinney seems entitled, immature, etc. Must have got rougher later.
Google is my domestique.
by majope on Jan 17, 2009 6:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
towards the author of the blog
Phinney posted a link on twitter to the very very short post on this guy’s blog. And then from what I gather, the over reaction started.
by lyne on Jan 17, 2009 6:24 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Phinney's attitude
does seem to suggest he’s a little big for his britches, as my grandmother would say. I agree with those we thought he came across as spoiled & arrogant. This is different from the other interviews I’ve seen by him and things I’ve read about him. Maybe it’s a one-off interview, or maybe that’s who he really is.
Thinking hard - really hard - of something witty to say....
by Cyclingrush on Jan 15, 2009 10:37 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
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