Two Transgender Athletes Are Dominating Women’s Cycling and the Cycling Community Is Not Happy About It

Published 09/18/2023, 7:41 AM EDT

Trans duo in the world of cycling, Evelyn Williamson and Tessa Johnson had a clear win in the women’s cycling competition at Illinois. They dominated the field and won gold for two recent consecutive female races. Their unprecedented wins on the field have stirred controversies in the cycling world.

Williamson has also participated in the men’s category in competitions back in 2020. Although she secured their medals in the women’s category, she bagged no medals at the men’s Sky Express Winter Criterium in March 2020, where 40 cyclists participated.

Evelyn Williamson and Tessa Johnson have competed in men’s and women’s cycling

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The team name for Williamson and Johnson is ‘TS ESTRODOLLS’. This name refers to the female hormone ‘estrogen’.

As per Reduxx, Williamson has been participating in the women’s category since 2017. In these races, she has continued to outperform her competitors. Race records also show that Johnson too, previously competed in men’s and open categories during her time at Clemson University since 2017. She won three first-place races in men’s categories before beginning to compete in women’s categories in 2022.

This created a buzz in the realm of cycling. Critics pointed out their non-stop victories. They are arguing that the duo is getting an unfair physical advantage.

The endless debates and voices of concern

A continuous debate has been raging in the sports world regarding which category transgender athletes should be included in. Critics claim that their inclusion often leads to disruption of the fair judgment of the game.

Amidst the growing controversies, other female cyclists have shared their views regarding the issue. Hannah Arensman said, “This has gone on long enough, …It should never have reached this point, it should never have been allowed. Someone has to take responsibility.” She retired from the sport, as this became discouraging for her.

A physiology lecturer and researcher from Sweden’s Karolinska Institute, Tommy Lundberg, told DailyMail, “The most important thing is whether or not you have benefited from male development and male puberty and if you’ve done that, you’re going to have advantages you cannot undo later.”

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A former pro swimmer, Nancy Hogshead told DailyMail, “Trans women have an undeniable physical advantage.” She further added, “Their bodies do what male bodies do when they go through puberty and is the reason why we segregate sports ubiquitously around the world. Unless we’re talking about just playing, just recreational sports. All competitive sports is sex-segregated.”

Several states have passed regulations regarding the issue. They resolved to restrict trans athletes from participating in the women’s category by referring to studies highlighting their physical advantages over women. However, critics argue that these measures are discriminatory toward trans athletes.

Earlier, several trans athletes were allowed to compete in women’s sports. This was so that the trans community get more opportunities for representation and inclusion. But now, the attempt to balance inclusivity and fair competition is one of the biggest ongoing debates in sports. Many have proposed more research in these areas so that the right decision can be made by governing bodies.

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What are your thoughts on this debate?

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Written by:

Disita Sikdar is a Viral Sports Moments writer at EssentiallySports. Having completed her bachelor's degree in English from Bhawanipur Education Society College affiliated under the University of Calcutta, she will soon be stepping towards pursuing her masters in English. She has experience working as a content creator and social media manager previously.

Edited by:

Priyadarshini Ajay

Two Transgender Athletes Are Dominating Women’s Cycling and the Cycling Community Is Not Happy About It

Evelyn Williamson and Tessa Johnson have competed in men’s and women’s cycling

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The endless debates and voices of concern