Cycling Time Trials: Transgender women can no longer compete in female events

Transgender women will no longer be allowed to compete in the female category of Cycling Time Trials (CTT) events, the governing body for time trialling in England, Scotland and Wales has today announced.

The update to its transgender policy follows British Cycling's update last month, with both governing bodies introducing a new 'Open' category that will see transgender women compete against male athletes.

> British Cycling's transgender and non-binary participation policy: a cyclist's experience

CTT events' female category will only be open to athletes whose "sex assigned at birth was female", who "must not have undergone any part of male puberty", and whose "testosterone serum level must be below 2.5 nmol/L if tested".

Forming a 'Gender Tribunal' which will decide gender eligibility issues, CTT says the update comes following "extensive internal work and insight from other sports' governing bodies" and released the following statement:

CTT's purpose is to facilitate and run time trials – where each competitor rides alone 'against the clock' for a set distance or time. By its nature, time trialling is a 'gender-affected sport'; which by definition means that the strength, stamina and physique of the average competitor of one gender is different from another.

Following extensive internal work and insight from other sports' governing bodies, CTT has made this decision as it is certain that transgender women can retain the physical advantages gained by a male when going through male puberty, and this does not support a level and fair playing field for competition.

The team emphasises that all transgender persons and non-binary persons are very welcome to continue taking part in competitive time trialling, and following in the footsteps of British Cycling have renamed the male category to 'Open'. Non-binary persons (persons who affirm that they are neither male nor female) will also be invited to compete in this category.

The new policy will mean those competing in the female category are able to satisfy all the following requirements: 1) Their sex assigned at birth was female, and 2) They must not have undergone any part of male puberty, and 3) Their testosterone serum level must be below 2.5 nmol/L if tested.

The Board of CTT will create a new body – a Gender Tribunal, to decide gender eligibility issues and provide sensitive guidance to those affected by this policy.

Adding to the statement, the body's Chair, Andrea Parish, said: "Here at CTT, we are committed to the promotion of inclusivity and a fair competition in sport. This decision underpins these such values and shows our collective support for women's sport."

> Road bike category introduced by British time trial governing body to "get more people time trialling"

Last month, transgender cyclist Emily Bridges called British Cycling a "failed organisation" and said she and fellow trans women had been "banned" by the "violent act" of introducting an 'Open' category.

"British Cycling is a failed organisation, the racing scene is dying under your watch and all you do is take money from petrochemical companies and engage in culture wars," she said.

"You don't care about making sport more diverse, you want to make yourself look better and you're even failing at that. Cycling is still one of the whitest, straightest sports out there, and you couldn't care less."