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Austin Killips, a transgender cyclist, is facing backlash online after winning a North Carolina race. The controversial cyclist won the race by 5 minutes. Paige Onweller, who finished second, said that Killips' power was "not comparable" and suggested a new category for racing, where trans athletes can compete against each other.
The 27-year-old winner holds the title of being the first openly trans woman to win the Union Cycliste Internationale stage event and claimed a cash prize of $5,000 after winning the third annual race of 131-mile Belgian Waffle Ride in Hendersonville on Saturday, according to Cyclist News.
Killips rides under Nice Bikes and surfed through the multi-surface race in a record time of eight hours, twenty-eight minutes, and seven seconds.
Martina Navratilova, a tennis star who spoke on Killips winning a New Mexico race in the women's category, called her out by tweeting about the latest victory and saying, "What a joke."
Navratilova was seemingly not the only one who thought so. Several netizens took to Twitter to discuss their opinions and alternatives on the trans women categories and rules in races.
Austin Killips' win takes the internet by storm with users having mixed reactions to the victory
Netizens had various reactions to the biologically male athlete competing in the race. Several users took to Twitter to discuss the victory and speculate upon whether it really was a win after all.
A few users defended Austin Killips and said that Killips was a human being and did not deserve the hatred that people were subjecting the racer to.
However, a large number of social media users chose to take a stand against transwomen competing in women's races due to their "biological advantage."
The following tweets were found under i_heart__bikes' post, which talked about transwoman Austin Killips at the end of the race while misgendering her.
Several other reactions misgender the openly transgender athlete while referring to them as "him" "man" or "he."
Paige Onweller addressed the Austin Killips controversy in her blog
Onweller placed second on the podium and was followed by Flavia Oliveria in the third place. During an interview, she spoke about her experience in the race:
"Most of the day it was riding the top three women who were together, me, Flavia and Austin. But yeah, I just kind of couldn’t match, you know, Austin and some of the single track and the power … just not comparable."
Paige Onweller added that she got "gapped maybe 50 miles" and that after a while it "kind of settled in" and "kept motoring." She concluded by saying that she placed second in the race.
However, in a blog post later, Onweller claimed that she wanted to address all the "comments regarding the women’s podium" at the Belgian Waffle Ride event. She added that in women's road cycling, the UCI rule states that a transgender athlete can play in a women's race if they identify as so.
She refrained from sharing her personal views on the UCI rule and claimed that it is more important "to recognize that all athletes, no matter how they identify, should have a space to compete and race."
Moreover, she spoke to the audience reading her blog by saying that underneath the helmet and covers is a face and an individual who deserves "respect, dignity and a safe space to ride bikes":
"In the future, I feel a separate category may be appropriate but event promoters are also learning what is best to preserve both female cycling while also creating an inclusive space for all to ride."
Paige Onweller also wrote that she has plans to support and attend numerous BWR events in the foreseeable future. Moreover, she thanked all the event promoters for their work and the difficulties they encounter in situations like these.
Martina Navratilova, a 66-year-old tennis player, said in a tweet that women's sports is "NOT THE PLACE" for trans identifying athletes, after Austin Killips winning the race caused outrage.
While the UCI defended Austin Killips, it chose to go the other way after Navratilova's tweet gained traction. The organization said that they would review their rules for trans athletes and "analyze" the situation at hand. A new conclusion is expected from the UCI by the month of August.
Austin Killips has previously been accused of attempting to push Hannah Arensman off the cycling course at the UCI Cyclocross National Championships in December 2022.
