A transgender woman appeared to finish first in a cycling event in New York City on Sunday.
A social media post from NYC Cycling News showed Tiffany Thomas standing between two biological women as the first-place winner of the Randall’s Island Criteriums on Sunday. Thomas is a transgender woman who runs for LA Sweat.
«Tiffany is a scientist by day, an athlete by night,» Thomas’ bio states. «Her favorite organ of hers are blood cells. You’ll never see anyone with a bigger smile than when they see a beautiful electron microscopy image of a red blood cell. She’s never met a bar, bike, or dog she didn’t.» She is so incredibly excited to compete and represent the LA Sweat Team this year!»
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Transgender cyclist wins an event in New York City. (Mickey Pfleger/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
It seemed to be the first time Thomas had finished in first place this year. Thomas has finished in first place 16 total times in his career, according to his Road Results page.
On his route results page, Thomas is listed in category 1, which is considered an elite level under USA Cycling rules. USA Cycling follows Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) rules regarding transgender athletes at the elite level of competition. USA Cycling points out the «main points» on its website.
«Those transitioning from women’s to men’s (FTM) are eligible to compete in the men’s category by providing a written and signed statement acceptable to the UCI Medical Manager. It is the responsibility of athletes to be aware of current WADA/USADA policies and request exemptions for appropriate therapeutic use», establishes the first rule.
«Those transitioning from male to female (MTF) are eligible to compete in the female category under the following conditions:
«The athlete has stated that his gender identity is female.»
«The athlete must demonstrate that their total serum testosterone level has been below 2.5 nmol/L for a period of at least 24 months.»
«The athlete’s total serum testosterone level must remain below 2.5 nmol/L throughout the entire period of desired eligibility to compete in the female category.»
MASSACHUSETTS HIGH SCHOOL SOLIDIFIES STATE TITLE WITH THE HELP OF A TRANSGENDER GIRL, PUT POLITICS UNDER A MICROSCOPE
USA Cycling says it is «committed to ensuring that all USA Cycling members have equal access and opportunities to participate in cycling events in a manner that is fair to all competitors, while preserving the integrity of the sport and adhering to international competition rules.»
Thomas apparently started competing at the elite level in the summer of 2019 and prior to that he competed in the 5-3 categories, which is considered non-elite.
News of Thomas’ win captured the win on social media and sparked outrage.
From varsity track and field to high school sports, a debate has grown over whether having transgender women and girls compete against biological women and girls is truly a level playing field.
Lia Thomas, a transgender woman, won an NCAA women’s swimming championship in the 500 freestyle last March. The debate has even gone to the gates of the NCAA.
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Recently, a Vermont Christian school was banned from future state-sanctioned tournaments because its girls’ basketball team refused to play another opponent that had a transgender girl on the team.