Mick Hartley

Exciting news in the cycling world, where two men take first and second place in a women's race – a sentence that would have made no sense five years ago, but is now entirely commonplace:

Feminists are expressing outrage after two biological males seized the top spots in the UK’s largest fixed gear cycling race today.

Emily Bridges and Lilly Chant, both trans-identified males, took the first and second place spots, respectively, at today’s ThunderCrit race at the Herne Hill Velodrome in London. Jo Smith was the only female to take the winner’s podium, and was seen standing at third place with her child in a photo that began to circulate on social media after the race had finished.

Both Bridges and Chant competed in the “Lightening” division of the event, one intended to be for “cis women” but also includes allowances for “non-binary people whose physical performance aligns with cis women” and “trans men and women whose physical performance aligns most closely with cis women.”

The fact that the trans women came in first and second suggests that perhaps the guys weren't too bothered about that "physical performance aligns most closely with cis women" bit. 

For those who do not identify as “cis,” ThunderCrit notes that they “trust competitors to select the category most appropriate for their performance,” and does not require any proof of a competitor being in the process of a medical transition.

The chutzpah is breathtaking.

In an October 2021 post on his seldom-used Instagram, Lilly Chant stated he would have to wait 11 months before he’d have testosterone levels low enough to be able to “line up on the start line against women,” yet he appears to have begun competing against females far sooner than that.

Not that testosterone levels mean very much, but still: he didn't bother even to wait for that fig-leaf.