There is plenty of lousy news in the world of pro cycling these days.

Old McQuaid had a ProTour.
Eeee ayeee eeee aye ohhhh.
And in this tour he had some riders.
Eeee ayeee eeee aye ohhhh.
A doper, doper here.
And a doper, doper there.
Here a doper, there a doper, everywhere a doper, doper.
Old McQuaid had a ProTour.
Eeee ayeee eeee aye ohhhh.

What is good about the sport? The weekend warriors with so-so talent that get out there and give their best shot at competing for a little dough. People who do it for the love of the sport.

Also good, are the youngsters. They also carry that same love but also provide the future of the sport. Hopefully, a future that is cleaner than what we have currently.

This story was published today about one such junior with huge quantities of natural, genetic talent as the story relates. With some luck and more hard work, perhaps he can remain part of a future of hope.

By TIM REYNOLDS, AP Sports Writer
October 4, 2007

CARSON, Calif. (AP) -- Davis Phinney held out his right arm to illustrate his point.

"See? Talking about the Olympics still gives me goose bumps," he said.

He might want to consider long sleeves. There could be a lot of Olympic talk in the Phinney household over the next few months, because one of the most-storied families in American cycling has a budding star quickly making a name for himself.

Taylor Phinney is proving the power of genetics. His father is Davis Phinney, the first American to win a stage of the Tour de France and an elite pro rider for two decades. His mother is Connie Carpenter-Phinney, a four-time national champion and the gold medalist in the inaugural women's Olympic road race 23 years ago.

So it can hardly be surprising that their 17-year-old son is already a junior world cycling champion -- and is considered one of USA Cycling's brightest hopes for the future, with eyes of trying to find a spot on the Olympic team destined for Beijing next summer.

"When you walk around as an Olympian, that's pretty good," said Davis Phinney, a 1984 bronze medalist. "When you walk around as an Olympic gold medalist, that's even better. So we wanted to instill that spirit, that honor and what it's like being an ambassador for your country in him."

With parents like his, some might think Taylor Phinney was raised on a bike.

They'd be wrong.

He didn't begin riding competitively until 18 months ago, then won 23 races in his first year. He never pedaled on a velodrome until four weeks ago -- yet Thursday, in his first real race on the banked track, was one of four qualifiers for the finals in the individual pursuit at USA Cycling's elite national championships.

"My whole motivation to get into doing the pursuit is to see if maybe I can qualify for the Olympics in '08," Taylor Phinney said. "So we decided to come out here, and it's exciting. My first pursuit. I like it."

The pursuit is a 16-lap event along the 250-meter track, with two riders starting on opposite sides. It's a race against the clock, not the other rider, but that didn't stop Taylor from catching his opponent during Thursday's heats -- while he clocked the fastest final-kilometer time among qualifiers for the finals.

"I know what I'm capable of," Taylor Phinney said. "I just haven't proven itself on the track to myself."

This was a good start.

He tries to remain a normal teen in many ways. He has a girlfriend, plays a lot of video games and doesn't do a lot of homework. And until a few years ago, soccer -- not cycling -- was his passion.

A trip to the 2005 Tour de France changed that. He spent some time there with Lance Armstrong, who was winning his seventh and final Tour. He met Axel Merckx, the son of cycling legend Eddy Merckx. And Axel told Taylor they have plenty in common.

Both are 6-foot-4. Both played soccer. And neither began competitive cycling until they were 15.

"You could see the light bulb going off in T's head when he said that," said Davis Phinney, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease eight years ago and started a foundation to raise money for research about four years ago.

So after that trip to France, Taylor told his parents he wanted to be a bike racer.

And he's been on a meteoric rise ever since. Two months ago, in his first appearance at the junior world championships, Phinney won the road time trial Aguascalientes, Mexico, becoming the first American to medal in that race since 1994.

"A lot of kids don't know what they want to do and their parents get them into sports to meet friends, not necessarily to be great," Taylor Phinney said. "But when you're growing up and you choose your own sport and not have someone choose it for you, that's when you can really excel."