A transgender female cyclist crushed her competition to win a race named the Belgian Waffle Ride by a staggering five minutes on Sunday. Austin Killips cruised to victory at the North Carolina event, which prompted organisers to confirm they are looking into a policy change.
Killips crossed the finish line alone after riding out of sight from the 108th mile of the 137-mile race, leaving second-placed Paige Onweller and third-placed Flavia Oliveira in the dust.
The 27-year-old, born a male, expressed her delight that her hard work had paid off after her latest victory.
She said: “It was just a gruelling effort. I am just really proud to lay it out there and get the result. I asserted myself and was able to get a gap early.
“We were kind of all riding together for quite a while, and, you know, I have a cross background, and I am going to attack these single track sections as hard as I can and did that. I hammered [it] and was able to stay clear.”
Killips has competed in women’s cycling events since last year but has a controversial past in previous events.
In December, she was filmed seemingly attempting to push rival Hannah Arensman into a boundary fence at the UCI Cyclocross National Championships.
After the incident, Arensman said: “I fully expect that in cycling, as a full-body contact sport, you’re going to get hit at some point.
“But when you have someone born a man run into you, over 6ft tall, it’s quite different. I tried to keep racing, not to let it get into my head at all. That one instance caught on video felt unnecessary, though.”
Last month, Killips won the Tour of the Gila in New Mexico and added to her medal haul with her dominant triumph on Saturday.
Runner-up Onweller was downbeat after crossing the line, claiming she was physically unable to match Killip’s power.
“Most of the day, I was riding with the top three women together: me, Austin and Flavia. But I just couldn’t match Austin – you know, the power is not comparable,” Onweller explained.
Cycling’s stance on transgender participation is more relaxed than in athletics and swimming, where all trans women are banned from competing at an elite level.
The UCI halved the testosterone limit and doubled the transition period in their eligibility rules last year, but there remains a prominent debate about fair competition.
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