Kate Phillips, a transgender cyclist, took first place in the women’s category at the USA Cycling Lyons Masters National Championships in Wisconsin on Tuesday, sparking protests and vocal opposition from some of her female competitors.
Phillips edged out longtime women’s cyclist Julie Peterson, who refused to join the podium during the medal ceremony in protest. “You could clearly see the power that he had,” Peterson told Fox News Digital, referring to Phillips.
Peterson also said she was unaware Phillips had registered for the event until after she had signed up herself and said she confronted officials about it. “If I had known, I wouldn’t have spent thousands of dollars on travel and taken time off work to race,” Peterson added.
Despite objections, officials maintained Phillips met USA Cycling’s transgender eligibility requirements, which allow transgender women to compete after submitting a signed declaration and passing an evaluation process for national championship events.
Veteran cyclist Debbie Milne, who finished seventh, also criticized USA Cycling’s policies, stating, “He was born a biological male, that is a fact. That’s what gives an unfair advantage.” Milne spoke about the physical challenges women face in competition, including hormonal cycles that male-born athletes cannot experience. Like Peterson, Milne said she wasn’t informed ahead of time about Phillips’ participation.
Oregon-based cyclist Kristina Gray, who did not compete in the event, expressed solidarity with the protesting athletes, recounting her own experiences racing against transgender competitors over the past decade. “Almost every weekend in Oregon, there’s a biological male in the races,” Gray said.
The women have contacted the Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS) to raise awareness of the issue.
USA Cycling’s current policy allows transgender women to compete in the female category after providing a written declaration of their gender identity and completing a fairness evaluation if competing at a national championship.
This controversy follows wider scrutiny of transgender athlete policies in various U.S. sports organizations. USA Gymnastics recently suspended its transgender eligibility policy for review, while USA Fencing is preparing amendments after backlash over a trans competitor. USA Track and Field now aligns its policy with World Athletics guidelines.
