Biological Male Cyclists Take Gold Medals in Two Separate Women’s Championships in Illinois

Transgender cyclists Evelyn Williamson and Tessa Johnson, biological males, took two gold medals at two separate women’s championships in Illinois.

The pair took first place together in the xXx Racing-Athletic Relay Cross in Chicago on August 27, competing under the name TS-ESTRODOLLS, a nod to the female hormone estrogen, Reduxx.info reported. Four days later, the two competed at the Ed Rudolph Velodrome during the state championship in Madison and placed first. 

Williamson has been racing in the female category since 2017, picking up 18 titles. 

He competed in both men’s and women’s categories at the Winter Criterium in March 2020. He won first when competing in the women’s category, but he did not even place when competing in the men’s category.  

As for Johnson, he competed in the men’s category while at Clemson University, the DailyMail reported. He is still registered under his biological name, Michael, and in the 2022 season, he picked up eight victories. He was on the podium for every race, except for one he did not complete. 

The infiltration of biological males in female cycling events has caught major criticism, leading cyclist Hannah Arsensmen to quit the sport entirely after losing to a biological male. 

“I came in 4th place, flanked on either side by male riders awarded 3rd and 5th places,” Arsensmen said in a statement. “My sister and family sobbed as they watched a man finish in front of me, having witnessed several physical interactions with him throughout the race.”

That cyclist whom Arsensmen lost to and was pushed by in the Women Elite category at the 2022 National Cyclocross Championships was a biological male pretending to be a woman, cyclist Austin Killips. He was unpunished for shoving Arsensmen due to the umpire’s fear of appearing transphobic for disciplining him, according to Olympic cyclist Inga Thompson. Since July 2022, Williamson has been in a romantic “throuple” with Killips. 

Biological males competing in women’s categories has permeated through not just cycling but competitive swimming, as biological male Lia Thomas won the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship in March 2022, beating out Riley Gaines.

RELATED — Riley Gaines: NCAA Sided with Lia Thomas, a Mediocre Male Swimmer, Instead of the Female Swimmers It Was There to Protect

Several states have passed laws banning biological males from competing in female categories, as experts have shared that male contenders have clear advantages over females. 

“The most important thing is whether or not you have benefited from male development and male puberty, and if you’ve done that, you’re going to have advantages,” Tommy Lundberg with Sweden’s Karolinska Institute told the Daily Mail.