Two biological males made the podium in the women’s races at the Chicago CycloCross Cup, according to media reports. Both individuals claim to be transgender.
Johnson won first place in the Women’s SingleSpeed and Cat Half categories while Williamson finished second in the SingleSpeed. The two swept the competition at a number of women’s races earlier this year.
After Johnson won the SingleSpeed race and Williamson finished second, just one woman made the podium — Alison Zmuda, who finished third.
According to the Chicago CrossCup website, transgender athletes are welcome to participate and USA Cycling’s Transgender Athlete Participation policies are followed.
Hannah Arensman, a female Cyclocross champion, left the sport because she felt the transgender athletes were ruining the experience.
Arensman was apparently shoved by another transgender competitor in a December 2022 race. Following the hit, she 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 6-foot 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. A guy, even if mediocre in the men’s field, is more than capable of breaking records and making podiums in women’s races.”
