Phinney, changed by the Games and in search of a medal

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RIO DE JANEIRO (VN) — Revenge and redemption are powerful motivators. Taylor Phinney was twice fourth in London; surely getting on an Olympic podium is all that matters and all that motivates. Surely those steps and that medal would exterminate Olympic demons. Surely.

But that’s not where Phinney’s demons come from.

As Phinney sat in a hospital in Chatanooga, his left leg a limp pile of broken bones and torn ligaments, he thought of the Olympic games. He did the calculation: He’d have more than two years to return to strength before Rio. Perhaps it was revenge that drove him then. But it’s something else now.

The young American spoke on Tuesday, less than 24 hours before he will set off from Pontal to punctuate a season’s worth of focus and pressure and pain with a single ride. He’s changed, he said. He was, according to those close to him, a rider who was considering retirement and questioning his place in pro cycling. Preparing for this Olympics changed that outlook and provided a new sense of self and a new source of motivation.

“The experience that I’ve had preparing for this event has changed my life and changed my outlook on what I do, what this sport means to me, and what the Olympics, in particular, mean to me as an athlete,” Phinney said.

“I’ve waited a …

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