(GoRealNewsNow.com) – It’s happened again. This time it is cyclist Austin Killips, a “transgender woman,” i.e., a man claiming to be a woman who has won an elite women’s competition, beating the second-place finisher by almost 5 minutes.
On Saturday, Killips was “victorious” with the women’s title in the Third Annual Belgian Waffle Ride in Hendersonville, North Carolina, Newsmax reports.
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The 28-year-old “trans woman” ended first in the women’s “Waffle” route, a 131-mile course going through the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Killips finished the race in 8 hours, 28 minutes, and 7 seconds. The second-best contestant, Paige Onweller, a woman, finished with a time of 8 hours, 32 minutes, and 32 seconds.
“I am just really proud to lay it out there and get the result. I asserted myself and was able to get a gap early,” Killips told The New York Post in an interview.
“We were kind of all riding together for quite a while and, you know, I have a cross background and I am going to attack these single-track sections as hard as I can and did that. I hammered [it] and was able to stay clear,” Killips elaborated.
A social media video of a victorious Killips after the race shows him explaining how he won thanks to his strategy and background.
In comments after the race, runner-up Paige Onweller declared she wanted to address “some controversy” about Killips and the fact that he was a “trans woman.” Onweller defended Killips’ right to compete.
“Rather than sharing my personal opinions about the UCI [Union Cycliste Internationale] rule, I think it’s most important to recognize that all athletes, no matter how they identify, should have a space to compete and race. Additionally, underneath all helmets is a face and a person who deserves respect, dignity, and a safe space to ride bikes,” the runner-up said.
Onweller did say that a separate contest for transgender athletes could be in order in the future.
“In the future, I feel a separate category is appropriate, but event promoters are also learning what is best to preserve both female cycling while also creating an inclusive space for all to ride. These things take both time and grace to resolve,” she concluded.
