Austin Killips, a 27-year-old transgender cyclist, made history on Sunday by becoming the first transgender athlete to win an official UCI stage race. Killips won the fifth and final stage of the Tour of the Gila in New Mexico, reigniting the ongoing debate around transgender athletes competing in women’s cycling events.
The UCI allows transgender riders to compete in women’s races, a policy that has come under criticism from some athletes, including American former Olympian Inga Thompson, who argues that it “effectively kills off women’s cycling.” Thompson has cited a survey by the Cyclistes Professionnels Associes (CPA), which represents men’s and women’s riders, that showed over 90% of professional female cyclists opposed racing against transgender athletes.
The UCI, however, defended its policy on transgender athletes, stating that its rules are based on the latest scientific knowledge and are applied consistently. The governing body added that it will continue to follow scientific findings and may change its rules in the future as scientific knowledge evolves.
Last year, the UCI increased the transition period for transgender women to compete in its events to 24 months and halved the maximum permitted plasma testosterone level to 2.5 nanomoles per litre.
Killips, who began racing in 2019, addressed the backlash she received online in an Instagram post, stating, “I love my peers and competitors and am grateful for every opportunity I get to learn and grow as a person and athlete on course together.”
The debate around transgender athletes in women’s sports is ongoing, with various international sporting bodies adopting different policies. British Cycling, for example, banned transgender women from elite races pending a full review, while the UCI allows transgender riders to compete in women’s races. As the scientific community continues to research the effects of hormone therapy and other interventions on transgender athletes, sports organizations will need to navigate complex issues of fairness and inclusion to create policies that work for all athletes.