Women’s cycling team sacks former pro and director who urged riders to “take a knee” in protest against trans cyclists

The US-based Cynisca Cycling team has parted ways with its board member Inga Thompson, a former world championship silver medallist and Tour de France Féminin podium finisher who in recent years has campaigned for the exclusion of transgender athletes from elite women’s cycling, after the three-time Olympian called on riders to “take the knee” in protest against the UCI’s trans policy.

In October, Thompson, who also won five US national road race titles in the 1980s and early 1990s, joined the board of directors at Cynisca Cycling, a new UCI Continental Women’s team based in France and formed for 2023 in partnership with USA Cycling to develop young American talent.

The 59-year-old has been one of the most vocal critics in recent years of transgender women participating in female events, and in 2019 resigned from Oregon Bicycling Racing Association’s board of directors following a backlash over an interview she gave to Save Women’s Sports, in which she called for the creation of a separate racing category for trans cyclists.

Earlier this week, in the wake of Austin Killips’ overall victory at the Tour of the Gila, Thompson appeared on Fox News and urged cyclists to “take a knee” – a gesture associated with the anti-racism movement launched by NFL player Colin Kaepernick in 2016 – in protest against the UCI’s inclusion policy and the presence of trans cyclists in women’s races.

It is time for Women Cyclist to start protesting @UCI_cycling Policy. Start taking a knee at the starting lines. Team managers need to speak up and protect their riders. Hold signs at every race “Save Women’s Sports”. https://t.co/BIn3cSKPJm

— Inga Thompson Fdn OLY💚🤍💜 (@ithompsonfdn) May 7, 2023

Appearing on ‘Fox and Friends First’, the USA Bicycling Hall of Fame member said she was now asking “everybody to protest for the protection of women”.

However, Thompson’s recent tweets and public appearances have prompted Cynisca to end their association with the former pro, who they claimed was damaging the team’s “brand and reputation”, and merely using the squad as a “platform for her political activity”.

The team also accused Thompson of “dehumanising” transgender people and “spreading misinformation”, causing journalists to refuse to cover the team and leading potential staff members and riders to decline job offers “out of fear of crossing or appearing to align themselves with her”.

“Inga Thompson is no longer a member of the Cynisca board of directors and will have no consulting or any other role with Cynisca. The association with Ms Thompson has affected Cynisca’s brand and reputation,” the team announced in a statement.

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

In the statement, Cynisca acknowledged that Thompson was appointed to the team’s board of directors thanks to her “impressive palmarés and a wealth of knowledge on international race strategy, tactics, and training.”

The team continued: “If shared in the absence of politics, her knowledge and experience would benefit many and advance cycling for everyone.

“However, she has decided to dedicate her time to excluding people that are otherwise and currently eligible to compete in UCI events. She has also attempted to use our team as a platform for her political activity.

“Ms Thompson's departure resolves a troubling conflict of interest. Cynisca is an apolitical organization, and her campaign and methods, by charter, UCI Code of Ethics, US law and decency, are not and will never be Cynisca's mission.

“To be clear, Ms Thompson is entitled to her opinions and advocacy, but her methods and personal attacks are inconsistent with Cynisca's mission to advance opportunities for women. Those methods, well-documented on Ms Thompson’s social media presence, include dehumanization of transgender people, spreading misinformation, demagoguery, and personal attacks on anyone who opposes her views.

“Our mission has been and always will be that of advancing women at all levels of cycling and doing so in a framework of equality, fairness, and tolerance. Despite the negativity fostered by Ms Thompson, we are succeeding and will push forward faster without her.”

> "Dumped by email": Mother of transgender cyclist Emily Bridges speaks out after British Cycling decision to suspend trans policy

In response to the team’s decision, Thompson tweeted this morning: “I was so excited for the maiden voyage and launch of Cynisca Cycling. One press release, a brief pause, and they’ve become the Titanic.”

Thompson’s departure from Cynisca comes a week after the 59-year-old described Austin Killips – who, by taking the GC at the Tour of the Gila, became the first transgender athlete to win a UCI women’s stage race – as “cycling’s equivalent of Lia Thomas”, the transgender swimmer who faced similar scrutiny after winning a US college women’s title last year.

Austin Killips, centre (Tour of the Gila)

“This really highlights the issues that are happening to women in cycling,” Thompson told the Telegraph. “We have more than 50 transgender women in the sport. And what’s going on in the background is that women are just quietly walking away. They think, ‘Why bother, if it's not fair?’”

The former 7-Eleven rider also claimed that there is a “lot of bullying” in women’s cycling over the trans issue, and that women who speak out “get cancelled, they get silenced, their jobs are threatened”.

She argued: “If they say anything, they are eviscerated. And so, instead of fighting this, they just walk away.”

On Fox News this week, Thompson said that the media “really has effectively shut down all dialogue about this and so many of us on the outside are trying to be this voice, to give the women the confidence to speak up without fear of losing their sponsorship.”

She continued: “That’s why we’re asking the owners of the team to step up and for fans to come and have an active support for these women so that we can have equality in women’s sports.

“With Austin winning, it has given women’s cycling a lot of visibility. We’re now asking everybody to protest for the protection of women… The science has been there for years and has been actively ignored because they would rather have inclusion than fairness for the women.”

> UCI to make "eventual decision" on transgender policy in August and will "take into account all elements" of heated debate

Following Killips’ win in New Mexico, the UCI announced that it recognised the concerns around the participation of transgender athletes in its events and that it has “agreed to debate and take an eventual decision” at the next meeting of the governing body’s management committee at August’s world championships in Glasgow.

According to the UCI’s current guidelines, trans women are allowed to compete in women’s competitions if their testosterone levels have been below 2.5 nanomoles per litre for at least 24 months.

In the immediate aftermath of Killips’ victory, the UCI defended its policy, stating that it “acknowledges that transgender athletes may wish to compete in accordance with their gender identity. The UCI rules are based on the latest scientific knowledge and have been applied in a consistent manner. The UCI continues to follow the evolution of scientific findings and may change its rules in the future as scientific knowledge evolves.”

However, two days later the governing body released another statement which appeared to indicate that it would reconsider its stance.

“The subject of the participation of transgender athletes in international competitions was discussed at the UCI Management Committee meeting,” it said.

“The Management Committee decided to analyse the current situation by reopening consultation with the athletes and National Federations, and therefore agreed to debate and take an eventual decision at its next meeting, in Glasgow, in August.

“The UCI's objective remains the same: to take into consideration, in the context of the evolution of our society, the desire of transgender athletes to practise cycling. The UCI also hears the voices of female athletes and their concerns about an equal playing field for competitors, and will take into account all elements, including the evolution of scientific knowledge.”