U.S. Olympian and reigning world individual-pursuit champion Taylor Phinney will make his professional cycling debut next week in the 2011 Tour of Oman for Team BMC Racing.

Phinney missed his planned debut at the Tour of Qatar because of illness and a knee injury.

The six-day Tour of Oman begins Tuesday. He likely will be a favorite in the fifth stage of the Oman race, an 11.5-mile time trial. He is the U.S. national time trial champion.

BMC Racing team president Jim Ochowicz says his pro debut "is a milestone event for him and for us."