Cycling

[eliope]

I'm up at Fort William watching the Downhill cycling this weekend.

Taking 5th place in Women's qualifying today was the rider from NZ.

Watching it in real life was chilling especially as so many of the female riders are tiny in comparison. Just awful.

totally dominating in 5th place out of 15 yep scarey lol

Do you give any fucks at all about the women who came 6th and onwards Bespin?

And if it was only qualifying, will be interesting to see the final results.

Can you explain some rules for me, OP? What position do you have to get in a qualifier to go through? I think the implication is that this individual was just doing enough to get to the next round and will then start showing all the women competitors what they could achieve 'if they worked harder'. Is that right?

According to the BBC, the top 15 go on to compete in the final. So I would like to a knowledge Mikayla Parton, who finished 16th and missed out on qualifying for the final.

Got it. Now we'll watch as this individual put in a teeny bit more effort and wins the whole shebang. Bravely & stunningly, no doubt.

Interesting article setting out relevant NZ national policy:

Transgender downhill racer wins first race by nearly 13 seconds:
www.mbr.co.uk/news/event_news/transgender-downhill-racer-372233

Kate Weatherly won the New Zealand National Downhill women’s champs last weekend. The result came a mere three weeks after a competing as a man.

Also with a quote from the winning rider:

Weatherly is of the opinion that her move into women’s racing should have been more widely broadcast and explained. “It’s kind of one of those things where I’d like everyone to be on the same page. If everyone’s not happy then maybe everyone’s not doing their best racing and I just want everyone to be having fun and doing their best.”

Three weeks from competing in the male event to the female? Jesus. Totally fair, i’m sure a male physiology can completely become female in that time.

Mikayla, I am so sorry that you’ve been cheated out of your opportunity. It’s outrageous.

Bespin, that you think this is funny is despicable. Women’s sport is suffering, women who complain about it are monstered but yeah, you go ahead and yuck it up. Totes hilair.

"Weatherly is of the opinion that her move into women’s racing should have been more widely broadcast and explained. “It’s kind of one of those things where I’d like everyone to be on the same page. If everyone’s not happy then maybe everyone’s not doing their best racing and I just want everyone to be having fun and doing their best.”

God how that sets my teeth on edge. KW expected more publicity for KW's activities. I bet KW would like everyone to be on the same 'page' as KW, but dream on. The comment about everyone not doing their best racing reminds me of that PhD candidate at Keele who exhorted female athletes to 'try harder' and maybe then they'll beat the men. And has KW no concept whatsoever that starting a race, knowing you have already lost it, just might not be everyone's idea of 'fun'? Sheesh.

Are these people booed by spectators?

’If everyone’s not happy then maybe everyone’s not doing their best racing’

What does KW even mean by this?!

“’If everyone’s not happy then maybe everyone’s not doing their best racing’

What does KW even mean by this?!”

Other competitors have patently failed to be blokes.

Losers!

I assume KW is implying that anyone who has a problem with KW competing is being a bad sport and should train harder so they can race better (“better” in this case meaning “to the level of being capable of beating a biological male body”)

It’s another version of the trope that competing against natal males will improve women’s competitive edge. Makes perfect sense if you think that biological sex is irrelevant to sporting achievement.

Well KW didn't win so clearly not so great a cyclist with "her" physical advantage was beaten by several women!

Red you are missing the point.

A woman had missed out on a qualifying place because this person qualified fifth. Many average athletes now enter women’s sports and lo and behold fondness themselves at the top end of the spectrum.

*find No idea where fondness came from

🚴‍♂️

I don't think I am, KW should not be competing against women, I am just pleased "she" may be brought down a peg or two and hope that encourages "her" to stop cheating by entering women's races.

I did not use the emoji for male. Mumsnet did that, i've had that happen before. Never seen that happen anywhere else online 🤔

I am using this one though:🍆

'bout to have me some nice eggplant for brunch.

"Until this year, Kate Weatherly was an average men's downhill mountain bike competitor. Now she's dominating the elite women's field. Some of her rivals say that's unfair."

interactives.stuff.co.nz/2018/03/a-level-playing-field/

In this article, Weatherly says they didn't go through male puberty. Which is weird if they're that much bigger than the other competitors.

And as well as going from mediocre to winning in sport, Weatherly is also winning awards for being stunning and brave!

Sorry, forgot the photo

@redredrobins what happens is that certain athletes do just enough in the qualifying rounds to qualify. Then when surprise surprise they leave all the natal females in their dust they and their supporters can point to "but she only came fifth/sixth/seventh into qualifiers, that proves there's no advantage, waaahhhh why is everyone so mean?". It's a ploy to pretend everything is fair, to gaslight the rest of us into not believing the evidence of our own eyes.

Also the point is that Weatherly is competing for NZ. Shania Rawson is a former junior world number two who was pretty much a dead cert to have represented NZ internationally. Kate beat her by more than 30 seconds, which is huge in downhill.

Kate is the only athlete from NZ competing in the Elite Women's category.

How long before people line up by tracks chanting "Cheat cheat cheat"?

Of course they already did at some weight lifting events, but the egos involved are so huge that it doesn't bother them.

Personally I’m looking forward to attending the World Masters Cycling Championship in October. Not sure whether I should boo the cheater or just hold up a poster of a grey rock.