Trans athlete takes top spot at USA Cycling women’s event as female opponents protest unfair competition

LYONS, WISCONSIN: A national women’s cycling competition in Wisconsin has ignited a fresh wave of controversy after transgender athlete Kate Phillips took first place at the Lyons Masters National Championships on Tuesday, July 1.

The event, sanctioned by USA Cycling, has prompted a vocal backlash from several veteran female athletes who say the competition was neither fair nor transparent.

Second-place cyclist refuses to take the podium

Julie Peterson, who placed second behind Phillips, made headlines by refusing to stand on the podium during the medal ceremony.

Speaking to Fox News Digital, Peterson said she would not have registered for the race had she known a biological male (Kate Phillips) would be competing in the women’s category.

“You could clearly see the power that he had,” Peterson said, insisting she was not informed about Phillips' registration until after she had invested significant time and money to participate.

“If I had known, I wouldn't have spent thousands of dollars in travel and time off work to come and do a race," Peterson said. 

When she questioned the inclusion with race officials, Peterson said she was quickly “scolded” for referring to Phillips as male.

“I said, ‘I don’t want to race against a man,’ and they quickly scolded me and said ‘Oh, you can’t call him a man,' and I'm like ‘Well, he is a man,’ so I was quickly scolded and corrected that it is a woman and I don't even know what to say.”

Veteran cyclist Debbie Milne says ‘I totally did not expect this’

Veteran cyclist Debbie Milne, a longtime presence in women’s competitive cycling, placed seventh in Tuesday’s race.

After the event, Milne voiced her frustration with USA Cycling’s decision to permit Phillips to participate, saying the move undermines fairness in the sport.

“To be fair to all humans, if we want to say him or her, he was born a biological male, that is a fact,” Milne said. “And that is the thing that makes it an unfair advantage. Whatever has happened after that is a whole different topic.”

She added, “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. Even that alone is something that a man-born biological male can never experience. There's nothing that can stimulate that, when you show up to the race and you are at the worst point of the monthly cycle and you know you're at a disadvantage.”

Milne also said she wasn’t notified ahead of time about Phillips' participation and likely would not have made the 13-hour drive had she known.

“I totally did not expect this, to drive 13 hours, to come and do a national championship,” she said. “I had no idea, I'd like to have known that's what the terms were if I came. But that wasn't even made known to me.”

Kristina Gray, another longtime cyclist who did not compete in the race, voiced her support for Peterson and Milne. Gray, who races frequently in Oregon, said competing against biological males in women’s events has become the norm in her region.

“I have in my last 10 years of racing, I've had to race against biological males, I've been forced to be on the podium with many of them, more recently the last five years,” Gray said. “In Oregon, every almost weekend, there is a biological male in our races, every weekend, practically.”

Team USA’s transgender eligibility policies face growing scrutiny amid backlash in women’s sports

USA Cycling’s transgender eligibility policy has come under renewed criticism following public outcry over a recent national championship event, where a transgender athlete took first place in the women’s category.

Under USA Cycling’s current rules, athletes must submit a signed declaration affirming their female gender identity using an Elite Athlete Fairness Application. For higher-level competitors or those participating in national championship events, an additional “Elite Athlete Fairness Evaluation” must also be completed.

The policy is intended to align with the values of inclusion and fairness, but is facing intense scrutiny after several female athletes expressed concerns about competitive equity and transparency, and unfairly impacts female-born competitors.

USA Gymnastics (USAG) recently suspended its transgender eligibility policy

“In May, USAG removed its policy to assess compliance with the current legal landscape,” the organization stated in a response to Fox News Digital.

Similarly, USA Fencing announced in April that it was in the process of revising its gender-eligibility rules after a viral protest by women’s fencer Stephanie Turner. Turner had spoken out after being forced to compete against a transgender opponent, drawing widespread media attention.

Internet erupts after trans athlete wins USA cycling women’s event

A trans athlete's recent victory in a USA Cycling women's event has ignited fierce online backlash, with critics calling it unfair to female competitors and accusing the organization of undermining women’s sports.

One outraged user wrote, “Why are the women on those podiums standing for it?! They are the line that should not be crossed! If ADULT women can’t step up… what does that mean for our young girls?!”

Another commented, “What an effing disgrace, and another slap in the face of hard training FEMALE athletes across the country!”

Others demanded accountability, “This is ridiculous. We failed those women. Give them the trophy.”

“What a Cheater! Why is this allowed? SHAME ON USA CYCLING!!!!” one wrote.

Another added bluntly, “Disgusting stolen accolades.”

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.