Controversy has arisen within USA Cycling following accusations that the bike racing governing body hid the involvement of a transgender participant from other contestants in a recent race.
Kate “KJ” Phillips, a biological male who has also competed in rugby competitions, won a 55-and-over race held in Wisconsin. It’s now alleged that their participation was kept a secret from the other cyclists before the event.
One competitor, Debbie Milne, told the Daily Mail she believed USA Cycling hid the fact that Phillips would be participating, given that she did not see their name on the list of registered participants. Another participant, Julie Peterson, refused to take to the podium as a form of protest after finishing second.
Milne finished seventh. She revealed that she spent $400 and drove 13 hours from Greenville, South Carolina, to get there. And, while she did see a photo from another racer showing Phillips had registered, she accused USAC of not being transparent.
“I should have been able to see it. I should have been able to look someone up and decide if I’m even going to make the trip until they get the policies worked out,” she argued.
Milne, a sports dietician, said it’s proven that males have an advantage in such activities and the person she raced was “born a biological male.”
“And if I had known that, I could at least not just decide that I don’t want to invest my money and my time in this, until the policies follow what the science has indicated at this point,” she added.
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USA Cycling Policy Allows Transgenders To Compete
Transgender cyclists are allowed to compete under specific guidelines, per USAC rules. The regulations separate athletes into Groups A and B, with contestants falling under Group A required to meet certain testosterone thresholds and get approval from an independent medical panel.
Athletes in Group B are to submit a “self-identity” verification request, which USAC’s technical director reviews. National champions – except those governed by USAC’s parent body, UCI – are treated as Group A contestants, which means Phillips would have to qualify as the former.
Milne claims USA Cycling did not acknowledge to her or anyone else that Phillips’ name was not on the registration, nor were they given an explanation.
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