"You are fooling nobody. These are beta-male races" - Cycling coach calls out USA Cycling for letting trans athletes participate

Cycling sports performance coach Linda Blade came down heavily on the USA Cycling Federation after transgender women participated and won medals at the women's Chicago Cyclocross Cup.

Tessa Johnson and Evelyn Williamson, who were both biologically male at birth and transitioned to female, won the gold and silver medals, respectively. They did so in the Women's Single Speed event, clocking 38:48s and 40:20s while Johnson added another gold medal after she triumphed in the CX Women's category 1/2 race.

The move to have transgender women compete in the women's events did not go down well with Blade and he opined that these races are "beta-male races." She also came down heavily on the federation and said they are turning the sport into a joke.

"Race organizers of @usacycling need to stop calling these 'women’s events'. You are fooling nobody. These are 'beta-male races' where some women get to be involved. In the process, you are turning your 'sport' into a joke," she said on X, formerly Twitter.

Cycling duo courting controversies

This is not the first time both Tessa Johnson and Evelyn Williamson have been in the news for winning titles and medals in the women's category.

Johnson and Williamson had earlier won the Racing-Athletic Relay Cross in Chicago in August, under the team name TS-Estrodolls - which translates to estrogen hormones.

Then they also went on to triumph in the Illinois State Championship at the Ed Rudolph Velodrome in Madison just days after winning the Racing-Athletic Relay Cross event.

While Williamson has won 18 titles in the women's category, she notably secured a blank in the male category of 40 riders. Johnson, though, is more dominant than Williamson and won eight consecutive women's races in 2022 and also won three men's events in 2019.

While many states have passed regulations regarding the participation of trans athletes in women's events, critics have long argued that all the measures taken are mostly discriminatory toward those athletes.

The issue has also caught the attention of former tennis player and legend Martina Navratilova, who opined that trans women are biological males and the physical advantages are obvious.

She has always been against the decision to allow trans athletes in the women’s category, as it would be unfair to other women participating in the tournament.