Biological men are increasingly winning competitions against women in the female categories of cycling competitions across the world.
Women have lost out to male competitors in swimming, indoor track and weight lifting, among other sports. In perhaps the most highly publicized story of a transgender athlete, Lia Thomas, born William Thomas, began breaking records on the University of Pennsylvania women’s swim team after competing for men’s team for three years, ranking 462nd.
The realm of professional cycling tells a similar story, with biologically male racers swapping out mediocre careers on men’s teams for record-breaking careers on women and girls’ teams. (RELATED: Viral Video Shows Bud Light Exec Trashing Brand’s ‘Fratty And Out-Of-Touch’ Marketing)
Jilian Bearden (born Jonathan Bearden), the co-founder of U.S. Trans National Women’s Cycling Team, explicitly admitted to holding a competitive advantage over female athletes. Bearden took first place in the women’s division of the U.S. Peleton at El Tour de Tucson in 2016.
“I went from 16 minutes to 26, 27, 28 minutes,” Bearden said according to The Denver Post. “I was like holy … Testosterone gives you this drive, this oomph, and I didn’t have that push.”
🧵Males in women’s cycling – master thread🧵
“This is a tiny group of people. It’s not an issue. It hardly affects anyone.”
Every woman and girl at every level of competition deserves the right to race in a category free of male advantage.#ThisNeverHappens #SaveWomensSports pic.twitter.com/O9kbGGGFxg
— 🚲 (@i_heart__bikes) April 9, 2023
The cycling governing body Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) lowered the permitted levels of testosterone from 5 nmol/l to 2.5 nmol/l in 2022. A woman’s average strength, stamina and physique are all much lower than a biological male’s even after the latter undergoes testosterone suppression, according to the Sports Councils’ Equality Group.
The difference has shown on the track. A transgender mountain biker in New Zealand began competing as a woman a matter of weeks after competing on the men’s team, snagging the national mountain biking championship in Wanaka.
“If everyone’s not happy then maybe everyone’s not doing their best racing,” the biker, who goes by the name Kate Weatherly, said to The New Zealand Herald in 2018.
Rachel McKinnon, also a man, set the world record for women’s cycling while competing in the women’s 35-39 age category at the 2019 Masters Track Cycling World Championships in Manchester, England.
Austin Killips never raced at the elite level until joining the women’s team, and quickly racked up the trophies. He placed third at the Women Pro Race at the second day of the Really Rad Festival of Cyclocross and took first place in the female elite division at the Verge Northampton International Cyclocross in Massachusetts.
Tiffany Thomas dominated a New York City cycling race after taking up cycling in his 40s. Thomas won a top place in the cycling team LA Sweat against his teammates, who were all aged 32 and under.
Some sports organizations and governing bodies have taken steps to protect women’s sports from male competition. World Athletics voted in March to ban biological males from competing as women in athletic competitions.
“In these circumstances, the Council decided to prioritise fairness and the integrity of the female competition before inclusion,” World Athletics said in a press release.
