Davis Phinney Teams With Trek Domane+ LT E-Bike To Keep The Legend Rolling

Davis Phinney Teams With Trek Domane+ LT E-Bike To Keep The Legend Rolling

The story from Trek Bicycles, “How Davis Phinney finds freedom in the saddle of his Domane+ LT,” caught my attention and brought back memories of an interview I did with Davis in 1994 for Road Bike Action Magazine.

Davis had just retired from racing when he, his wife, Connie Carpenter, and their son and future professional cyclist, Taylor, welcomed me into their home for hours of conversation. It would have been a killer Podcast if iPods had been invented in 1994! I just dug out the issue and the interview (with intro written by Jody Weisel) holds up really well. If you are a pack rat like me, find your April 1994 issue and check out the interview. It is worth the hunt.

ELECTRIC REJUVENATION
Back to current events. Five years after our interview, Davis was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. He was only 40. I knew it would slow him down and I also knew it wouldn’t defeat him. Davis formed the Davis Phinney foundation to support families living with Parkinson’s disease and kept moving forward.

Cycling was always going to be a challenge in his condition until Trek came up with a great option. Electric-assist. Davis is enjoying time in the saddle again with his favorite training partner, Connie, and his Trek Domane+ LT E-bike. You can check out the latest on Davis in this Trek Blog posting.

I’ve already said that the Specialized Turbo Vado SL was my e-bike of choice if they ever become available again (they are selling like crazy). But now that Davis is riding a Domane, I just might  have to take another look at that decision.

Three’s a crowd: Wonder if Davis and Connie will let me tag along if I get a Trek E-bike? We could continue our interview from 26 years ago.
The right stuff: The man had the kick of a mule, the speed of a cheetah and the cunning of a fox. Davis won the 1983 U.S. Pro Championships riding as an amateur on a U.S.A. Cycling composite team. That just didn’t happen! Amateurs should not beat Pros. Davis proved America could produce world-class cycling talent.
Stunning cover: I still feel this photo by John Ker is one of the best cover shots I’ve ever seen on a cycling publication. And he shot it on film! Dennis West was the art director. I’m only bummed that the Phinney interview didn’t make it to a coverline.
E-bikes Mountain Biking