Top prospect Taylor Phinney promoted to ride for Lance Armstrong’s RadioShack team

Phinney to ride for Armstrong’s RadioShack team

GENEVA — Track cycling world champion Taylor Phinney has been promoted to ride for Lance Armstrong’s Team RadioShack for the rest of the road race season.

The 20-year-old American will step up from Armstrong’s Trek-Livestrong development squad to compete in the Aug. 4-8 Tour of Denmark.

Team manager Johan Bruyneel said Thursday he was giving Phinney and teammates Jesse Sergent and Clinton Avery the opportunity to ride in stage and one-day races in France and Belgium over the next two months.

“All three riders are classy young riders,” Bruyneel said. “We believe in them and are hoping this works out and can lead to something permanent next year.

“So far none of the three riders has a guaranteed place in our 2011 team, but this is already a step forward in their development as a pro rider.”

Phinney is a two-time pursuit world champion on the track, and won the past two under-23 editions of the famed Paris-Roubaix event. His mother, Connie Carpenter-Phinney won gold at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and his father, Davis Phinney, was a Tour de France stage winner and team time trial bronze medalist at the 1984 Games.

Sergent won silver in pursuit behind Phinney at the 2010 worlds held in Denmark, and rode in New Zealand’s bronze-medal quartet in team pursuit at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.