Austin Killips, a male transgender-identifying cyclist, recently took first place in a North Carolina cycling competition, beating out his female competition and landing him the $5,000 dollar, first-place reward. According to Cycling News, Killips came in with an almost five-minute lead.
Second-place finisher, and biological woman, Paige Onweller, shared that Killips power was “not comparable” to female cyclists in the race and that a “separate category” for transgender athletes should be considered.
Speaking on the “single track sections” of the race, Killips discussed really “asserting” himself in these sections allowing him to, “get a gap early.” He went on to detail how “I have a cross background,” he explained, referring to his cyclo-cross background.
“I’m going to attack these single track sections as hard as I can and try to establish a gap,” he explained, detailing how he ultimately ended up with a five-minute lead ahead of every other female competitor.
Paige Onweller, who came in second to Killips shared, “I was feeling really good, I was pushing the pace on the climbs a lot.” She said that, for most of the day, she was able to keep pace with Killips and one other female competitor but ultimately lamented, “I just couldn’t match Austin and some of the single track and you know the power – just not comparable,” she shared.
The Belgian Waffle Ride, held in North Carolina promised to be, “among the hardest if not the hardest course with roughly 131 miles and 13,500 feet of climbing.”
Onweller shared, “In the future, I feel a separate category is appropriate.” She then went on to state, “event promoters are also learning what is best to preserve both female cycling while also creating an inclusive space for all to ride. These things take both time and grace to resolve.”
Onweller then went on to reference the world cycling’s governing body, the UCI, and their guideline regarding transgender identifying individuals in competition, stating, “Trans-women are allowed to compete in women’s competitions if their testosterone levels have been below 2.5 nanomoles per liter for at least 24 months.”
Killips recently came under scrutiny after also taking first place in the Tour of the Gila race in New Mexico last month, prompting the UCI to state that they will be revisiting their policy on allowing trans women to compete in races. Their decision is expected to be released by August of this year.
