Trans cyclist crosses finish line 5 minutes ahead of female field, runner-up says ‘power not comparable’

Austin Killips, a 27-year-old transgender cyclist, won the North Carolina cycling event called the Belgian Waffle Ride on Saturday, leaving his closest competitor, Paige Onweller, in the dust of the grueling 137-mile long race, beating her by five minutes.

Five minutes is a monstrous lead in cycling. The transgender’s female competition never stood a chance, evidently.

Killips was out in front by the 13th-mile mark and stayed there. Cyclists Onweller and Flavia Oliveira had to settle for second and third place respectively.

The transgender claimed ‘she’ won the race due to sheer hard work, not to mention that since being born male, she ostensibly had an advantage entering the contest.

(Video Credit: Daily Mail)

It was just a grueling effort. I am just really proud to lay it out there and get the result. I asserted myself and was able to get a gap early,” Killips crowed.

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“We were kind of all riding together for quite while and, you know, I have a cross background and I am going to attack these single track sections as hard as I can and did that. I hammered [it] and was able to stay clear,” the cyclist claimed.

Onweller was gracious after the uneven contest, but during a post-race interview, she bluntly admitted her “power is not comparable” to Killips’.

“Most of the day I was riding with the top three women together: me, Austin, and Flavia. But I just couldn’t match Austin – you know, the power is not comparable,” she stated.

In a blog post, Onweller suggested transgenders should have their own category to eliminate an unfair biological advantage.

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“A transgender athlete won the women’s overall, which has caused some controversy. For those following women’s road cycling, you are aware of the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) rule that this is currently allowed,” she wrote.

“Rather than sharing my personal opinions about the UCI rule, I think it’s most important to recognize that all athletes, no matter how they identify, should have a space to compete and race,” Onweller continued. “Underneath all helmets is a face and a person 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.”

Organizers for the North Carolina race are reportedly getting ready to force a change in the rules, according to the Daily Mail.

“We are listening. We understand and appreciate all opinions and comments on this challenging situation,” the organizers wrote on Instagram Saturday following the contest results.

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“With this in mind, we completely realize we have to create an official policy that addresses this important subject. We know we have to take this on ourselves with the hope others will follow suit. Our plan is to have this in place for the remainder of the 2023 season. We will make this happen quickly,” they vowed.

The UCI is defending its stance on transgenders competing against biological women in cycling.

“The UCI acknowledges that transgender athletes may wish to compete in accordance with their gender identity,” the cycling’s world governing body stated. “The UCI rules are based on the latest scientific knowledge and have been applied in a consistent manner. The UCI continues to follow the evolution of scientific findings and may change its rules in the future as scientific knowledge evolves.”

Killips has been competing against women since 2022, racking up a number of wins.

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The transgender allegedly tried to push female cyclist Hannah Arensman off the race course during the UCI Cyclocross National Championships in December 2022. The video seems to show Killips trying to shove the 24-year-old into the boundary fence.

Arensman said at the time, “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 ft. 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.”

Arensman eventually took early retirement after that. She stated that competing against male cyclists in women’s events had become disheartening. She claimed that the inclusion of trans competitors meant that she would “lose no matter how hard I train.”

She told the Daily Telegraph, “I realized that if an opportunity presented itself to say something on behalf of other women, then I would take it.”

“This has gone on long enough, it has gone far enough. It should never have reached this point, it should never have been allowed. Someone has to take responsibility. This is not fair sport, and the governing bodies, who should have made the rules at the beginning, need to realize it. The very people who should be protecting our sport are not doing so,” Arensman asserted.

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