Transgender Cyclist Wins Women’s Title at National Championships

A transgender man who identifies as a woman took home first place in Women’s Singlespeed at the 2023 USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships.

Despite competing as a man in men’s races earlier this year, Kylie Small (formerly Kyle) was allowed to compete as a woman in subsequent cycling competitions. He had been competing in the male division as late as April of this year and came in 44th place last season in the CX Male Senior 18-22 division. Per Reduxx:

But on December 8, Small competed as a “woman” at the USA Cyclocross National Championships in Louisville, Kentucky, taking gold in the Women’s Single Speed division with a time of 38 minutes and 19 seconds.

The fastest female in the race was Jennifer Malik, who was awarded second place. The results of the race led the International Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS) to condemn USA Cycling for continuing to allow males to self-identify into the women’s category.

After the championship, Small was interviewed on his success in women’s cycling by Evie Edwards, a representative from ICONS.

 

It’s the male women’s singlespeed cyclocross US national champion Kylie (Kyle) Small talking about his race!

He says his success is due to nailing dismounts and pushing those gaps after them. 💪

(I wonder if his large male body also played a role. ) pic.twitter.com/iUzT65SprY

— 🚲 (@i_heart__bikes) December 9, 2023

This past June, USA Cycling announced that trans athletes will be divided into two categories in 2024: A and B. The former will require athletes to have their testosterone test below 2.5 nmol/L for at least two years, while the latter would only require a gender self-identification form to compete against females domestically.

“The revision of our Transgender Participation Policy was a complex process guided by several factors. Foremost was the direction of our Board of Directors, who asked us to prioritize the balance between fairness and inclusion,” said the USA Cycling CEO.

“Our work encompassed a study of the UCI’s most recent review of the latest scientific literature, an assessment of the U.S. legal environment and similar policies from other sports organizations, and outreach to our athletes, club and team managers, and event organizers. As U.S. law and scientific findings evolve, we will use this as an opportunity to do further review and revisions of this policy as needed,” the CEO added.

Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed for FREE on YouTube or Tubi. A high-quality, ad-free stream can also be purchased on Google Play or Vimeo on Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.