Cycling's governing body, the International Cycling Union (UCI) has updated its guidelines for transgender athletes who want to compete with the sex that aligns with their gender identity rather than the sex they were assigned to at birth.
The Associated Press reported this week that UCI increased the transition period on "low testosterone" to two years and lowered the maximum accepted level of testosterone for athletes transitioning from male to live as a woman. The previous transition period was one year.
“Given the important role played by muscle strength and power in cycling performance, the UCI has decided to increase the transition period on low testosterone from 12 to 24 months,” the governing body reportedly stated after a board meeting. The new maximum testosterone level allowed in transgender athletes is now 2.5 nanomoles per liter instead of 5.
“This value corresponds to the maximum testosterone level found in 99.99% of the female population,” the governing body added this week.
Townhall covered how UCI barred a biological male "transgender" British cyclist, Emily Bridges, from competing in a women's race in Derby, United Kingdom. British Cycling banned all transgender athletes from competing until further notice after the controversy.
In an interview with DIVA Magazine shortly after, Bridges claimed there is no advantage when biological male "transgender" athletes compete against biological females.
Bridges added in the interview that "hormone replacement therapy" has a "massive" impact on how an individual performs in sports.
“There are studies going on for trans women in sport. I’m doing one and the performance drop-off that I’ve seen is massive," Bridges claimed in the interview. "I don’t have any advantage over my competitors and I’ve got data to back that up."
