Austin Kelips (27) has made himself heard again. A controversial transgender American cyclist won a race in North Carolina by five minutes from the runner-up, who called Killips’ strength “unparalleled” and reiterated the idea of a separate category for transgender athletes.
Killips started cycling in 2019, moved to the women’s circuit last year and they knew it there. Last winter she completed several cyclocross races in Europe and at the end of January she was also on the podium of the Belgian Cross in Zonnebeek.
In March, Chicago-born Kelps made compatriot Hannah Arensmann say goodbye to Doran Crouse at the age of 25. At the beginning of May, she became the first transgender woman to win an official UCI race. She then made it to the final stage and final classification in the Tour of Gila, a women’s race in New Mexico.
And last weekend, she caused even more controversy during the 210-kilometer Belgian Waffle Race in North Carolina. Prize money of $5,000 (4,634 euros) was already hers.
The power is simply incomparable
Paige O’Neiler, number two
For a long time, the second man, Paige O’Neiler, could keep up with Kelps. But when the course got tougher on the woodland trails, she had to let the transgender cyclist go. She finally finished five minutes behind Killips, who came in after 8 hours and 28 minutes. Flavia Oliveira was third, with a time of seven minutes. Killips said afterward that she was very proud of her win and referred back to her cyclocross past. “I attacked as hard as I could on the forest paths and so I was able to take a distance that was crucial.”
Unweiler remained very athletic in defeat. At first she just said that it was hard to compete in the hardest part of the course. “The strength is simply incomparable.” In a blog post afterwards, she very cleverly responded to several harsh comments online on stage in North Carolina.
“You know, under current UCI rules, it is possible for a transgender cyclist to win a women’s competition. My personal opinion on this is irrelevant, but I think it’s important to acknowledge all athletes. No matter how you identify, you should have the opportunity to be Competitive and race. Under every helmet is a face and a person who deserves respect, dignity and safety.” In order to make it clear that in the future it would be more appropriate to create a separate class. “But something like this needs the right time and context.”
Then tennis legend Martina Navratilova (66) was less forgiving. Just as after the victory in New Mexico (“transgender doesn’t belong in women’s competitions”), she has now made her voice heard briefly and aggressively on social media. What a joke.”
Unlike some international sports federations such as the World Athletics Federation, the UCI allows transgender athletes to compete in women’s races. For now anyway, because the UCI is definitely considering offering a separate category for transgender people in the future to promote inclusion and avoid unfair competition. This decision should follow in August.
To be able to participate in women’s races, a transgender athlete must present a certain (low) testosterone value two years prior to participating in women’s races in order to be able to begin. This value is consistent with values found in the vast majority of the female population, according to the UCI. The Cycling Federation doubled that transition period last year.
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