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Davis Phinney Discusses His Racing Career and Today’s Pro Cycling Scene

Any discussion of great American cyclists has to include Davis Phinney. Phinney won over 70 races during his time as a pro, and he is generally considered the greatest sprinter in U.S. history. Some ten years after he wrapped up his racing career he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, which he has now been living with for 20 years. But Phinney has not let the disease slow him down too much. He is active in his Davis Phinney Foundation, which works to improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of people living with Parkinson’s. The Outer Line recently sat down with Phinney for a wide-ranging discussion. True to form, he rolled in on a high-end e-bike, which he credits with allowing him to get back to riding regularly. Phinney spoke with us for two hours, and his continuing enthusiasm and devotion to the sport clearly shows through. Below, he reminisces about his career in the sport,...

Q&A With Davis Phinney Foundation Director Polly Dawkins

The name Phinney is synonymous with American cycling. Davis Phinney’s professional career spanned 1984 to 1993, and he amassed 328 wins, including 73 professional victories and two stages of the Tour de France. He also transformed into an all-round threat during the second half of his career, winning the final edition of the Coors Classic (1988), as well as short mountainous U.S. stage races like Killington and the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic. Davis’s wife, Connie Carpenter-Phinney, was also a world-class bike racer as well as a speed skater. She was the first women’s Olympic road race champion in 1984 and a twelve-time U.S. national champion. In 1972, she became (and still is) the country’s youngest winter Olympian, competing in the 1500 meter speed skating events in Sapporo at age 14. Their son Taylor enjoyed a meteoric rise to cycling fame at any early age, winning Paris-Roubaix...