Phinney qualifies for Olympics

Father, Davis, goes under the knife

With the release of the final UCI track rankings after the World Championships in Manchester, American Taylor Phinney is in line to follow in his parents' footsteps as an Olympian. The 17-year-old is the son of 1984 Olympians Connie Carpenter-Phinney, who won gold in the women's road race, and Davis Phinney, who was the first American on a US-team to win a Tour de France stage. Taylor finished the season ranked third in the individual pursuit, earning his country a spot in the Beijing Games. He still must be selected for the team by USA Cycling, but as the country's fastest pursuiter, it's a likely just a formality.

On the same day the rankings were released, Davis underwent successful brain surgery in an attempt to alleviate some of the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. According to the Associated Press, Phinney's surgery at the Stanford University Medical Center in Palo Alto, California was without complications, and doctors expect the procedure to help ease the symptoms of the disease, which he was diagnosed with in 2000.