Trans cyclist will be allowed in Commonwealth Games

[flyingbuttress43]

www.telegraph.co.uk/cycling/2022/03/22/exclusive-commonwealth-games-2022-allow-trans-women-cyclists/

The Daily Telegraph exclusive reports today that Commonwealth Games chiefs have agreed on new gender rules, which could pave the way for a trans woman to race for a female cycling medal.

The DT understands a potential contender, who previously competed in male categories is in serious contention to be picked. The cyclist has yet to formally confirm they want to compete in Birmingham.

The DT is now in full campaign mode re the trans in sport issue.

The sports section today has the following double page spread

www.telegraph.co.uk/athletics/2022/03/22/sport-must-face-reality-fairness-inclusion-cannot-co-exist/
Ross Tucker

www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2022/03/22/transgender-athletes-womens-competition-sport-by-sport-guide/
By Ben Rumsby - Sports investigataions reporter

www.telegraph.co.uk/swimming/2022/03/21/terror-labelled-transphobic-now-tops-inclination-protect-womens/
Oliver Brown Chief Sports Correspondent

Plus an article "Difficult for the science to find level playing field for all"
Tom Cary Senior sports corresondent (no online link)

In the main paper
www.telegraph.co.uk/columnists/2022/03/22/every-win-lia-thomas-loss-women-sport/
Allison Pearson

• Banner head on main paper "Trans sport insanity"

Judge Kentanji Brown was also unable to give an answer as to what would happen if Cruz decided he was a different race:

twitter.com/RichardHanania/status/1506742473342676992

She dismisses this as "hypotheticals". But that's what you do when you make law, isn't it? Think about what other areas of law are impacted or amended or set aside by your changes?

As a side note, I wonder if "not getting into hypotheticals" will be the new "not going down a rabbit hole".

I emailed the dimwit MP who tweeted to tell people who objected to Lia Thomas winning women's swimming to 'pipe down'. I can't believe an elected representative would be so dim as to tweet that and alienate a large proportion of her electorate.

[Shrug] Inevitable. The number of people who really care about women's sport is so tiny. It's dispiriting that Lord Coe doesn't give a shit either.

I really rooted for Emily Bridges competing in men's (should be called open) events. There us no 'end of' about separate events for trans people, that really is exclusion and there's absolutely no reason for it, nor at the moment enough numbers. Trans people are normal human beings like anyone else. I'm with Martina Navratilova, Sharron Davies and many others in wanting an open event and a female event.

@PermanentTemporary

[Shrug] Inevitable. The number of people who really care about women's sport is so tiny. It's dispiriting that Lord Coe doesn't give a shit either.

I really rooted for Emily Bridges competing in men's (should be called open) events. There us no 'end of' about separate events for trans people, that really is exclusion and there's absolutely no reason for it, nor at the moment enough numbers. Trans people are normal human beings like anyone else. I'm with Martina Navratilova, Sharron Davies and many others in wanting an open event and a female event.

Yes... and can you imagine the problems deciding who'd be eligible for a 'trans' category? I'd take a guess that some of the obvious points women make re males in womens sports which get blithely dismissed would mysteriously become serious issues.

To paraphrase Greta ‘HOW DARE THEY?!!!’

I'm at the point now where I want loads of trans identifying men to compete in women's sports, then the world will soon see the absurdity of three biological males on the podiums at every women's sporting event. Perhaps questions will then be asked about what dedicated sports women are supposed to do to achieve success in their sport, and maybe give them their own category!!

'The world will soon see'

They see what they want to see. It's been happening for almost 20 years, particularly in golf and cycling, several high placed transwomen there, but up to and including the Tokyo Olympics. The next push is to remove all hormone-lowering rules. Women's sport is meaningless to most people, they glance at the occasional champion smiling on TV and think 'she's pretty' or 'she's not very pretty'. People don't like 'politics' or 'moaners'.

Women's sport is meaningless to most people

That may be true in some sports, although it's changing a lot for things like football. But it's definitely not the case in many others. Tennis, athletics, gymnastics, swimming etc have had high-profile female categories and stars for decades.

I worked in elite cycling for about a decade. Staff at the national and home country federations are not comfortable with this and are worried that women will leave the competitive side of the sport but feel unable to speak out. If Welsh Cycling select Bridges for Birmingham it will be partly for money - Welsh Cycling get funding for medals at the CG the same way BC does for the olympics. It doesn’t have a lot of money - just some from active travel, minor sponsorship deals, a cut of membership income from BC, so funding from CG wins is very important to them.

Unfortunately shaving the choice is clear. Women will stop cycling. The federation can see exactly what happened in the states. Why do they think cycling will not be protested and dragged through the news. Why do they think women in the UK will not make their feelings known despite the UK having hate crimes laws. The sport’s reputation will suffer.

They cannot say they care about women and then make a decision based on finances that is so clearly anti-woman. It will not help them in the end.

EB is racing Laura Kenney on 2nd April in derby

www.britishcycling.org.uk/events/details/254406/National-Omnium-Championships--Derby-GP--Velospeed-Coaching

Whatever the outcome of these current debates might be, the net effect on improving women's status in this world will be bad, sadly. We have to spend so much energy, time and other resources just not to slip and slide backwards in time.

EB is racing Laura Kenney on 2nd April in derby

Want to bet they won't win? Then we'll all be treated to look there's no difference etc.etc....
So hard to to cycle slower than you are capable

@334bu

*EB is racing Laura Kenney on 2nd April in derby*

Want to bet they won't win? Then we'll all be treated to look there's no difference etc.etc....
So hard to to cycle slower than you are capable

I'm hoping this will be harder to pull off in a velodrome than say, a swimming pool, where you can't really see slackening of leg action so much

Tickets still available for Derby. A show of vipers will be good!
I don't care if EB doesn't win, it us the principle EB should not be in women's sports. Even the info on web says male!

I just thought to myself Bridges beats Laura Kenny there will be a big kick off because Kenny is the darling of women's cycling. But then I realised that I've lost track of how many times I thought that the next thing must be the one to tip the boat...

No way will they beat Laura as it would look too bad. Might come in second but it won't be in their interest to cycle at full pelt and show how unfair it is.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10656169/Team-GB-cycling-stars-face-losing-Olympics-places-trans-woman.html

And so we have it. A previously elite male athlete racing against the darling of womens sport. A national treasure in the sport.

We’ve been trying to talking about this for for years, warning this would happen, received abuse from people around the athlete. Mumsnet has been targeted too everytime we try and talk about this.

Well the cats out of the bag now. The whole world will know about Bridges soon enough. What an uncomfortable place to put ones child. I hope they know what they’re doing because calling people anti-trans doesn’t work when the general public agree with the people asking for fairness. It won’t shut people up anymore. There will be a UK wide conversation taking place and it can’t be stopped.

Ffs

When the cyclist concerned is so young you have to wonder about the people in the background encouraging this, parents, coaches etc. The reaction from the general public is not going to be as universally positive as that from within captured organisations or on Twitter.

I posted this on another thread but I think it's worth repeating:

With Lia Thomas everyone is starting to see the relative lack of effort needed to win the races. WIth Bridges we see an interesting story being played out in the media. In 2020 there was this article www.skysports.com/more-sports/cycling/news/15264/12101251/emily-bridges-coming-out-as-trans-in-cycling-is-a-crucial-step-on-my-journey with this quote

"To help achieve this, I'm going to be part of research into the effect that a medical transition has on athletic performance. This will, as far as I'm aware, be the first time that an elite-level international athlete has done this. I understand this will be extremely useful research. I really want to demonstrate what effect hormone replacement therapy has on the body, and how it massively changes athletic performance in multiple ways.I know that people will have questions about fairness. I feel I have an opportunity to show that the existing eligibility rules for trans athletes in competition are appropriate."
(my bold)

Then there was this article informing the cycling world that Bridges will be in the women's races soon, but it's fair because look - there's a graph (n=1) showing a dramatic drop in performance! www.cyclingweekly.com/fitness/i-just-want-to-be-competitive-again-trans-cyclist-emily-bridges-on-preparing-to-race-in-the-female-category with these quotes:

"the sharp shock of taking part in the elite men’s crit at the Loughborough Cycling Festival at the end of May last year. “I was shelled after two laps and lapped four times,” she shakes her head, reliving the unfamiliar feeling of being resigned to defeat. Bridges finished 43rd out of 45."

"She may have gone from frontrunner to tail-ender in the course of just a few months,"

"Bridges has been participating in a study at Loughborough University to monitor these changes, as well as tracking her own data (see chart) – indicating a 13-16% drop in her power outputs across six-second, one-, five- and 20-minute durations. In light of these changes, is she content that the current rules are appropriate? “I think so, yes. The reduced testosterone has a direct effect on the main determinants of VO2max – red blood cells, haemoglobin, haematocrit – which drop to female levels within five months."

So power output has dropped by 13-16% - interestingly right in the 9-24% range of advantage of males over females in cycling events cited by Hilton and Lundberg pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33289906/.

How does that square with qualifying 4th out of 20 for the men's individual pursuit, and placing 4th overall (just out of the medal positions)?

How does that square with winning bronze in the men's team pursuit?

How does that square with winning gold in the men's points race?

All at this event www.bucs.org.uk/events-page/cycling-track-championships-2021-22.html?tab=Results+and+Programme

How can the parents, coaches, team members think this is ok?
So angry and disappointed with British Cycling, he was racing as a man!!!!

A win is a win.

You see them and time again coaches using dubious methods to give their squad an advantage - blood transfusions, weird and wonderful diet and ‘natural’ medications… to downright doping.

They are on the scale of ‘it’s giving them the edge’ to ‘shhhhhh, no one will notice and we will win’.

Win = medals, sponsorships, endorsements….

I'm boycotting all sports until this ends. I won't watch the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, Athletics Championships, football, rugby, cricket. I have no interest whatsoever in supporting a sector that is prepared to treat women with this level of contempt.