#women's cyclocross

[allthingscycling]

European champion, Fem van Empel, cyclocross bike

[coochiequeens]

Another example for SheWon

By Jennifer Sieland December 4, 2023

Two trans-identified males dominated a women’s category at the Illinois State Cyclocross Championships yesterday, leading many women’s rights advocates to condemn the tournament for allowing men to self-identify into the women’s divisions.

The Illinois State Cyclocross Championships was held at Montrose Beach on December 3, representing the final challenge in the eight-race Chicago CycloCross Cup. As with other events in the Cup, the event comprised of over one dozen different competitions for men, women, and junior athletes.

But two trans-identified males topped the podium in the Women’s Singlespeed category, taking home medals set aside for female racers. Tessa Johnson and Evelyn Williamson placed first and second, respectively, in the competition, leaving space for only one biological woman – Kristin Chalmers – on the podium.

Johnson also participated in the Women’s Category 1/2 race, placing third and winning $100 in prize money.

According to the Chicago CrossCup’s website, the competition prides itself on “first and foremost fostering a positive & supportive community built around competitive cyclocross racing,” continuing: “That means welcoming and challenging everyone who wants to contribute to the series and make it better in that regard.”

In its official FAQ on the topic of transgender cyclists, the Cup notes that “discrimination or harassment of any kind on the basis of race, color, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identification, national origin, or any other stupid idea someone comes up with to belittle another racer will not be tolerated at [our] events and may result in disqualification.”

On X (formerly Twitter), news of Johnson and Williamson’s victories was shared by user @i_heart_bikes, an anonymous female cyclist who frequently calls out males self-identifying as “women” in the sport. In response, many women’s rights advocates and sports enthusiasts condemned the competition for allowing the men to participate.

“Well done @usacycling you’ve proved you don’t care about women & you’re happy to put men in female categories. What a joke,” one user replied.

“Cycling has been my refuge since I was a little girl. This makes me sick to my stomach and full of rage,” another said in response to the news.

One woman’s rights advocate even went so far as to edit Johnson and Williamson out of the podium photo, placing female racer Kristin Chalmers onto the top spot.

This is not the first time that Johnson and Williamson dominated the podium at the  Chicago CycloCross Cup. In October, the two also took gold and silver in the Women’s Singlespeed, similarly leaving the only female on the podium with bronze. Johnson also took first place in the Women’s Category 1/2 race, earning him $150 in prize money.

Both Johnson and Williamson have been racing in women’s cycling for years, with Williamson collecting 18 first place titles in races across the country since 2017. 

In September, Reduxx reported that Johnson and Williamson competed as a team in two separate women’s races in Illinois, taking first place in both of them. During one of the competitions, Williamson and Johnson competed under the team name “TS-ESTRODOLLS,” a reference to cross-sex hormones.

Johnson and Williamson celebrated their initial first place win on August 27 after their victory at the xXx Racing-Athletic Relay Cross in Chicago. The two men surpassed nine pairs of women for first place.

Just days later on August 31, Johnson and Williamson beat out two teams of women at the Ed Rudolph Velodrome during the State Championship in Madison. 

Williamson is reportedly in a polyamorous relationship with Austin Killips, another trans-identified male cyclist who has become notorious for his frequent participation in women’s competitions. Killips has similarly taken several first place wins in women’s categories and has forced at least one woman out of the sport after targeting her with physical aggression during a race.

[womensworldtour]

First, we need to admit that we really aren't cyclocross gurus. It's always been a strange sport to us, just some men and women biking around a park with some stairs, sand, and barriers. But it's also beautiful in its accessibility, you can see huge chunks of the race as a spectator in one spot, and the races last around 45 minutes rather than a whopping 4 hours. It will never bear our greatest love, but we get it.

For those that may like to dabble in CX, it has been a fun season to watch. For example, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Fenix-Deceuninck) pulled off an impressive win at Superprestige Merksplas on Sunday, was a lot of fun to watch! She held off Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek Lions), who charged back but couldn't quite close the gap in time. Marie Schreiber (SD Worx-Protime) came in third after leading for the first 2/3 of the race.

Also, cyclocross events seem to be on YouTube more, which is make it easy to get hooked on this silly but likeable discipline.

[tadejpogacar]

FEM VAN EMPEL UCI CX World Cup, Benidorm 2024 📸 by Jasper Jacobs/Getty Images

[marcelskittels]

Fem van Empel of The Netherlands and Team Jumbo-Visma celebrates winning the Women's Elite race of the X2O Trofee Baal - GP Sven Nys on Sunday January 1, 2023 in Baal, Belgium. (Photos by Jasper Jacobs/BELGA MAG/AFP/Getty Images)

[petnews2day]

‘I’m just excited to race my bike for a living’: Cat Ferguson interview

New Post has been published on https://petn.ws/ladkC

‘I’m just excited to race my bike for a living’: Cat Ferguson interview

Cat Ferguson is one of Britain’s next generation of super talents, with big victories across road, cyclocross and track racing at junior level and a pro contract with Movistar starting in August this year. Cyclist caught up with her to discuss her past, present and future. Congratulations on your silver in the Cyclocross World Championships […]

See full article at https://petn.ws/ladkC #CatsNews #Cyclocross, #WomenSCycling

[knitmeapony]

“We refuse to be falsely presented as victims in a manufactured controversy driven to further alienate and marginalize those most vulnerable within our community, in service of rampant and harmful anti-LGBTQ+ legislation,” the letter reads. “We speak for ourselves: inclusion makes our sport and community stronger. Everyone is welcome here. Trans women are women.” Chalmers said her letter was co-signed by dozens of cisgender women who race on the Chicago cyclocross circuit, which she describes as an amateur racing community that embraces inclusion.

Hell yeah ladies. Congrats to the trans women that won the race -- Tessa Johnson and Evelyn “Casey” Williamson -- and nice work to Kristen Chalmers (third place finisher, first class athlete) and all the other cis women standing up for the trans women in their sport.

[remcocoa]

two very exciting final stages coming up at tour de l’avenir and tour de l’avenir femmes today. big shakeups in the men’s race yesterday, with both jarno widar and pablo torres losing several minutes on gc. on the women’s side, marion bunel has a very, very slim lead over isabella holmgren going into the final stage.

both races have the same final stage - mostly flat and then ending with the colle delle finestre which is a very inhumana looking rampa (but make it italian).

to cap that off, several riders at the top of both races (blackmore, bisiaux, holmgren, bego, probably others) have a background in cyclocross, which come into play on the final unpaved 8km.

[gendiebrainrotreceipts]

“I was born into a family of athletes. Encouraged by my parents and siblings, I competed in sports from a young age, and I followed in my sister’s footsteps, climbing the ranks to become an elite cyclocross racer. Over the past few years, I have had to race directly with male cyclists in women’s events. As this has become more of a reality, it has become increasingly discouraging to train as hard as I do only to have to lose to a man with the unfair advantage of an androgenized body that intrinsically gives him an obvious advantage over me, no matter how hard I train.

I have decided to end my cycling career. At my last race at the recent UCI Cyclocross National Championships in the elite women’s category in December 2022, I came in 4th place, flanked on either side by male riders awarded 3rd and 5th places. My sister and family sobbed as they watched a man finish in front of me, having witnessed several physical interactions with him throughout the race.

Additionally, it is difficult for me to think about the very real possibility I was overlooked for an international selection on the US team at Cyclocross Worlds in February 2023 because of a male competitor.

Moving forward, I feel for young girls learning to compete and who are growing up in a day when they no longer have a fair chance at being the new record holders and champions in cycling because men want to compete in our division. I have felt deeply angered, disappointed, overlooked, and humiliated that the rule makers of women’s sports do not feel it is necessary to protect women’s sports to ensure fair competition for women anymore.”

— Hannah Arensman

x

[mightyflamethrower]

At least a real woman was able to nab third place. No one knows why real women are so weak when it comes to bicycle racing.

[coochiequeens]

In its official FAQ on the topic of transgender cyclists, the Cup notes that “discrimination or harassment of any kind on the basis of race, color, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identification, national origin, or any other stupid idea someone comes up with to belittle another racer will not be tolerated at [our] events and may result in disqualification.” Meaning men will win money ment for women and if the women complain they will be the ones disqualified

By Reduxx Team October 9, 2023

Two trans-identified males dominated women’s competitions at the Chicago CycloCross Cup yesterday, leading many women’s rights advocates to condemn the tournament for allowing men to self-identify into the women’s categories.

The CycloCross Cup was held at Jackson Park in Chicago, Illinois from October 7 to 8, and comprised of over one dozen different competitions for men, women, and junior athletes. But two trans-identified males topped the podium in two different competitions, taking home medals and, in one event, prize money.

In the Women’s SingleSpeed and Category 1/2 races, trans-identified male Tessa Johnson took first place. The Category 1/2 competition also came with $150 in prize money.

But Johnson wasn’t the only male on the podium in the Women’s SingleSpeed, with Evelyn Williamson taking silver in the competition. The result means that only one biological female, Allison Zmuda, was on the podium for that race, placing third for bronze.

Williamson also participated in the Women’s Category 1/2 race, placing fourth and winning $75 in prize money.

According to the Chicago CrossCup’s website, the competition prides itself on “first and foremost fostering a positive & supportive community built around competitive cyclocross racing,” continuing: “That means welcoming and challenging everyone who wants to contribute to the series and make it better in that regard.”

In its official FAQ on the topic of transgender cyclists, the Cup notes that “discrimination or harassment of any kind on the basis of race, color, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identification, national origin, or any other stupid idea someone comes up with to belittle another racer will not be tolerated at [our] events and may result in disqualification.”

On X (formerly Twitter), news of Johnson and Williamson’s victories was shared by user @i_heart_bikes, an anonymous female cyclist who frequently calls out males self-identifying as “women” in the sport. In response, many women’s rights advocates and sports enthusiasts condemned the competition for allowing the men to participate.

“What impressive men who can beat women with their testosterone,” one user said sarcastically.

“Male athletic advantage exists. It doesn’t belong in the protected category of women’s sports. More importantly, it is not the responsibility of any female athlete in any level of any sport to validate or affirm the identity of men. Ever,” Jess Kruchoski replied.

“Pathetic failed men proud of winning prizes meant for women. Total failures both of them,” user @crusepat wrote.

Speaking to Reduxx on the results of the Chicago CycloCross Cup (CCC), a spokeswoman from ICONS condemned the competition for not prioritizing fairness towards female athletes.

“The CCC states that discrimination will not be tolerated; however, they fail to recognize that by allowing advantaged male athletes to take podium awards in women’s races, they are blatantly discriminating against half the population,” she said.

ICONS, or the Independent Council on Women’s Sports, is a campaign group dedicated to defending the rights of female athletes to single-sex sport and has vocally advocated against policies which allow males to self-identify into women’s athletic categories.

Referencing the CCC’s FAQ on trans athletes, the ICONS representative points out a particular passage in which those who have an issue with gender self-identification are told they shouldn’t participate.

“If you are at a CCC event you are here to race your bike hard (or cheer on someone else who is), have a good time, and you are welcome as part of this big, goofy, oddball family … If you can’t do that without trivializing someone because they are different than you, then just stay home and enjoy the game on TV,” the FAQ reads.

The ICONS spokeswoman takes issue with the framing, and labels it misogynistic.

“Presenting old-fashioned misogyny as something their ‘goofy, oddball family’ does to ‘have a good time’ is insulting to female riders who suffer profound harm from being told that their accomplishments don’t matter, and they must take a backseat to the preferences of men,” she says.

Both Johnson and Williamson have been racing in women’s cycling for years, with Williamson collecting 18 first place titles in races across the country since 2017. 

In September, Reduxx reported that Johnson and Williamson competed as a team in two separate women’s races in Illinois, taking first place in both of them. During one of the competitions, Williamson and Johnson competed under the team name “TS-ESTRODOLLS,” a reference to cross-sex hormones.

Johnson and Williamson celebrated their initial first place win on August 27 after their victory at the xXx Racing-Athletic Relay Cross in Chicago. The two men surpassed nine pairs of women for first place.

Just days later on August 31, Johnson and Williamson beat out two teams of women at the Ed Rudolph Velodrome during the State Championship in Madison.

Williamson is reportedly in a polyamorous relationship with Austin Killips, another trans-identified male cyclist who has become notorious for his frequent participation in women’s competitions. Killips has similarly taken several first place wins in women’s categories and has forced at least one woman out of the sport after targeting her with physical aggression during a race.

UPDATE 10/9/2023: This article has been updated to include comment from the Independent Council on Women’s Sports.

[womensworldtour]

Shirin van Anrooij has animated several of the early road races this season, particularly Omloop and Strade Bianche. Clearly, she is carrying her stellar form from the cyclocross season. Here she celebrates winning the women's elite race Duinencross 2023 in Koksijde.

[tadejpogacar]

Fem van Empel, Ceylin Del Carmen Alvarado & Aniek van Alphen UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup Maasmechelen 2023 - Women's Elite 📸 by Luc Claessen/Getty Images & ucicyclocrossworldcup

[edisonkate]

Rab Wardell honored with Scottish Cycling's highest award posthumously

The late Scottish mountain biker Rab Wardell was awarded Scottish Cycling's Badge of Honour at an event last week.

The cyclist, who died in August aged 37, was recognized at the body's AGM last week; the nomination noted: “his legacy is already huge and has all the requirements for consideration for the honor".

Wardell won the elite men’s title at the Scottish MTB XC Championships in Dumfries and Galloway in August, before he died in his sleep just days later, after he was believed to suffer a cardiac arrest.

His partner and double Olympic track cycling champion Katie Archibald were at home with the 37-year-old when he died.

“I think you’ve heard that Rab died yesterday morning,” Archibald wrote on social media at the time. “I still don't understand what's happened; if this is real; why he'd be taken now - so healthy and happy.

"He went into cardiac arrest while we were lying in bed. I tried and tried, and the paramedics arrived within minutes, but his heart stopped and they couldn't bring him back. Mine stopped with it."

Scottish Cycling said that "after one of the longest standing ovations" they could remember, Wardell's father, Jack, provided an "emotional acceptance speech", which "recalled the impact Rab had, and continues to have, on our community".

A spokesperson said: "Rab was a friend of many, no matter your discipline or role in our sport. 'Bikes are gid' he would say.

"An elite mountain biker who had just turned professional, Rab was a gifted cyclist no matter the bike he was riding, be that road, track, BMX, or cyclocross.

"Rab was also a coach, a former Scottish Cycling member of staff, and an advisor to the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships. He was a son, a brother, a partner, a friend, and an all-around good guy, who just loved cycling and everything it offered to so many people, from all walks of life.

"Mostly recently, his incredible long-distance challenges and social media presence promoted mountain biking and cycling in Scotland, his positivity infectious."

Glasgow-based Wardell had been racing mountain bikes since his teenage years, although only turned professional earlier this year.

In 2020 the rider completed the West Highland Way(opens in new tab) in a new record time,  finishing the 96-mile course on 9-14-32. His win at Kirroughtree Forest(opens in new tab), the weekend before his death, was described by Scottish Cycling at the time as a “show of incredible resilience”.

The other recipient of Scottish Cycling's Badge of Honor at their AGM was Rita Montgomery, a 91-year-old who "championed women’s cycling in Scotland long before it was popular or given parity".

[hanjitonin]

Lmao if this blog were my main id have to be like 'we interrupt ur regular hanji kpop schedule to bring u.... Going apeshit over women's cyclocross!!!!'