Cycling reaches new low

[FemaleAndLearning]

Friend shared this from a Women's Rights Network tweet
twitter.com/WomensRightsNet/status/1532804764664225792?t=3t37LIrWtiNxXb86BoQQ2A&s=19
So new categories Lightening and Thunder for those with a gender identity, meaning men in women's cycling. But if you are 'cis' you can't choose your category. Confused yes me too. Anyone got more info?

More detail!

So they let people of either sex race in groups according to how quick they are and rank them? Groundbreaking.

I can't tell if Bridges and the other [male sexed human] came 1st and second in Lightning or Thunder category. The board they're holding says thunder.

What an appropriate way to celebrate World Bicycle Day! Idiots!

Saw this earlier.

thundercrit.com/race-categories/

Therefore, we say goodbye to gendered race categories. The men’s race and women’s race are no more. Welcome to the new Thundercrit categories, which are based on the principle that the best and most fun competition is a fair and inclusive competition, where the performance level of the competitors in each category is similar to those around them.

Add in “cis” men and women can’t choose their category but trans and non-binary get their pick and you end up with 5 males taking the top 6 spots over the two categories.

Congratulations to top female Jo Smith.

OMFG they've actually lost the plot. Idiots.

Congratulations to top female Jo Smith.

Yes, well done Jo Smith!

Congratulations to top female Jo Smith.

Indeed, Dreikanter!

Results and podium photo.

Wow, that's some photo.

Very very frightening.

If women are unable to win in either category it breaches The Equality Act; so will the EHRC step in, or do women have to sort this mess out on top of everything else?

Male supremacy in action.

On your bike with that one!

Funny how making a competition “inclusive” immediately excludes 51% of the population.

Given the context of Thunder(bolts) and Lightning, now I'm stuck with "Bohemian Rhapsody" as an earworm after reading your post, luciatrope

So why did the top two riders in "lightning" pick that category? Could they not have gone in the other as "trans men or women whose performance most closely aligns with men" or however it was described? It's possible that the race were trying to offer an option for trans women to race with men but not be called men, if you see what I mean.
Didn't work though.
Is the answer to my question above "because the top two riders on that podium would not have won if they had entered the other category".

Another thought is, if there are two riders with this particular advantage then you've got a race. Three categories?

If gender identity is a protected characteristic (as they insist it is), and ‘cis’ is a gender identity (as they insist it is) how is it not discriminatory to say ‘cis’ people can’t choose their own performance category?

They really are misogynistic fuckwits

This makes me so cross!

Keep the male and female categories, then have an open category in addition to that (which can be split further into performance / height / age / shoe size whatever other measurement).

I am hoping that this is a breakaway competition as opposed to an official one?

I thought Emily Bridges was still winning races in the male category, so how can EB’s performance be said to most closely align with “cis-women”?

This is what is "fair and equitable" in these gendered days.

Anyone is who they say they are, can choose who they are, unless you aren't a True Believer, then you are precisely who They say you are and won't have a hope in Niflheim of getting a fair race.

I wonder how close their results are to those of the Thunder category?

Oh, and Kitty Dennis and Valentina Vaccari came 1st and 3rd in 2021. No podium for you this year, ladies.