Male-born cyclist blocked from competing in women’s championship race

A male-born British cyclist was ruled ineligible to race in last weekend’s women’s national championships, adding more fuel to the debate over fairness and inclusion in female sports.

British Cycling announced over the weekend that the sport’s world body had ruled that 21-year-old Emily Bridges failed to meet the guidelines for transgender cyclists ahead of the British National Omnium Championships, which were held Saturday.

Like swimmer Lia Thomas, Bridges had raced previously on the men’s side before transitioning in 2020.

“Under the British Cycling Transgender and Non-Binary Participation policy, Emily Bridges was due to participate in the British National Omnium Championships on Saturday 2nd April,” said the British Cycling statement. “We have now been informed by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) that under their current guidelines Emily is not eligible to participate in this event.”

Britain’s Guardian newspaper reported that some female cyclists were ready to boycott the event if Bridges had been cleared to compete.

The UCI ruled that Bridges “was currently not compliant with its regulations as she is still registered as a male cyclist – and therefore cannot compete as a woman until her male UCI ID expires,” the Guardian reported.

Bridges, a member of British Cycling’s elite Senior Academy program as a male racer until 2019, set a national junior men’s record over 25 miles in 2018.

The British cyclist took issue with the decision in a statement to Cycling News, saying “I am an athlete, and I just want to race competitively again, within the Regulations set by British Cycling and UCI after careful consideration of the research around transgender athletes.”

“No one should have to choose between being who they are, and participating in the sport that they love,” Bridges said.

Bridges also argued that she had met the standard to compete in women’s events.

In 2020, UCI tightened its testosterone requirement for male-born athletes in women’s sports from having 10 nanomoles per liter of blood to just 5 nanomoles per liter for 12 months before competition.

“For the last six months, I have been in contact with British Cycling and the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) over the eligibility criteria I would need to meet as a transgender woman in order to race in the female category at the British National Omnium Championships this Saturday, 2 April 2022,” Bridges said.

“In that time, I have provided both British Cycling and UCI with medical evidence that I meet the eligibility criteria for transgender female cyclists, including that my testosterone level has been far below the limit prescribed by the Regulations for the last 12 months,” said the cyclist.

And what of the other competitors bridges?

Excluded trans cyclist Emily Bridges says she meets criteria to compete https://t.co/abXy7B4XU9

— Diana 🇺🇦 (@TheMoominmama) April 2, 2022

Opponents of male-born athletes in women’s sports argue that reducing testosterone is not enough to compensate for physical advantages of post-pubescent males, such as muscle mass, bone density and lung capacity.

British Cycling called Saturday for “a coalition to share, learn and understand more about how we can achieve fairness in a way that maintains the dignity and respect of all athletes.”

“Transgender and non-binary inclusion is bigger than one race and one athlete – it is a challenge for all elite sports,” British Cycling said. “We believe all participants within our sport deserve more clarity and understanding around participation in elite competitions and we will continue to work with the UCI on both Emily’s case and the wider situation with regards to this issue.”

The winner of Saturday’s women’s championship was Sophie Lewis, 19, followed by 31-year-old Neah Evans, who won a silver medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the women’s team pursuit.