By Daryl Khan
The runner-up of an officially sanctioned USA Cycling women鈥檚 race is speaking out after she lost to a transgender opponent 鈥 claiming she wasn鈥檛 made aware beforehand that the eventual winner would be competing in the race.
鈥淚f I had known, I wouldn鈥檛 have spent thousands of dollars in travel and time off work to come and do a race,鈥 cyclist Julie Peterson told Fox News.
Peterson came in second place to her transgender opponent, Kate Phillips, who took the gold at the Lyons Masters National Championships in Wisconsin on Tuesday.
After finishing second, Peterson refused to take the podium in protest.
鈥淚 said, 鈥業 don鈥檛 want to race against a man,鈥 and they quickly scolded me and said 鈥極h, you can鈥檛 call him a man,鈥 and I鈥檓 like 鈥榃ell, he is a man,鈥 so I was quickly scolded and corrected that it is a woman and I don鈥檛 even know what to say,鈥 Peterson told officials, according to FOX News.
Peterson鈥檚 actions sparked a wave of frustration from other women cyclists who said they were disheartened at having to compete against athletes who were born male, according to FOX News.
Peterson, who said she wasn鈥檛 aware that Phillips was competing after she had registered for the race herself, argued with officials about the eventual victor鈥檚 participation in the event, the report said.
鈥淵ou could clearly see the power that he had,鈥 Peterson told Fox News Digital about Phillips.
Debbie Milne, another veteran racing cyclist who finished seventh place, shared In Peterson鈥檚 indignation. She criticized USA Cycling for allowing Phillips to compete.
鈥淭o be fair to all humans, if we want to say him or her, he was born a biological male, that is a fact,鈥 Milne told Fox News Digital. 鈥淎nd that is the thing that makes it an unfair advantage. Whatever has happened after that is a whole different topic.鈥
Milne said there are sweeping advantages to being born a man and racing against a woman.
鈥淚鈥檝e raced for 25 years in conditions that only women can understand. There鈥檚 a lot that only a born female woman goes through because of the cycles that we have,鈥 she said, according to FOX News.
鈥淓ven that alone is something that a man-born biological male can never experience. There鈥檚 nothing that can stimulate that, when you show up to the race and you are at the worst point of the monthly cycle and you know you鈥檙e at a disadvantage,鈥 Milne added.
Like Peterson, Milne had no idea that she was going to be competing against the trans athlete in the race.
鈥淚 totally did not expect this, to drive 13 hours, to come and do a national championship,鈥 Milne said. 鈥淚 had no idea. I鈥檇 like to have known that鈥檚 what the terms were if I came. But that wasn鈥檛 even made known to me.鈥
Kristina Gray, a veteran women鈥檚 cyclist who did not participate in Tuesday鈥檚 race, told Fox News she鈥檚 also had to compete against trans cyclists in her racing career.
鈥淚n my last 10 years of racing, I鈥檝e had to race against biological males, I鈥檝e been forced to be on the podium with many of them, more recently the last five years,鈥 Gray said. 鈥淚n Oregon鈥here is a biological male in our races, every weekend, practically.鈥
The three outraged women cyclists contacted the Independent Council on Women鈥檚 Sports to spread the word about the outcome of the race.
The Post has reached out to USA Cycling and Phillips for comment.
The USA Cycling transgender eligibility policy allows for biological males to compete in the women鈥檚 category under certain conditions, according to FOX News:
Provide a written and signed declaration to the USA Cycling technical director, using the Elite Athlete Fairness Application form, that their gender identity is female.
Satisfy the Elite Athlete Fairness Evaluation process in Section IX below if the athlete: a) Is a Group A athlete; or b) Desires to compete in a championship race at a national championship.