Trans-Identifying Woman Wins US Cycling Championship Over Biological Women
Kate Phillips, a trans-identifying cyclist, won first place in the USA Cycling Lyons Masters National Championships on July 1.
Prior to the championships, some of the cyclists perused the list of their competitors to understand who they were competing against. Phillips’ name was not listed, which was frustrating for several of the cyclists once they discovered they had to compete against him.
Second-place finisher Julie Peterson refused to stand on the podium beside Phillips after the race. One of the cyclists, Debbie Milne, told Fox News her issues with Phillips’ participation in the championships, which she claims was “hidden” from the cyclists:
“To be fair to all humans, if we want to say him or her, he was born a biological male, that is a fact. And that is the thing that makes it an unfair advantage. Whatever has happened after that is a whole different topic,” Milne said.
Milne, who placed seventh, also expressed support for Peterson and her decision to not present herself at the podium.
“I’ve raced for 25 years in conditions that only women can understand. There’s a lot that only a born female woman goes through because of the cycles that we have,” Milne further stated.
The requirements laid out in the USA Cycling transgender eligibility policy consist only of female “gender identity,” rather than biological sex. The policy states, that a “Transgender female” athlete must “Provide a written and signed declaration to the USA Cycling Technical Director, using the Elite Athlete Fairness Application form, that their gender identity is female.”
According to Fox News, “Milne pointed out that unlike USA Cycling, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), considered the world governing body for cycling, has a policy that restricts transgender women from competing in female-designated events.”
The Daily Mail reported that Phillips has been vocal about trans-athletes competing as the gender they identify with. In 2024, the cyclist wrote against those who are against transgender participation in gender-exclusive sports.
“There is a faction out there that just can’t stand seeing change. Now the focus is on trans/non-gender conformity, which has hit the list of hyped controversy and hate, and the followers of this thought won’t or don’t want to take the time to see that there isn’t a problem…that MORE women (WTFNB [women, trans, femme and non-binary] included) are better for all sports,” Phillips wrote.