Women’s cycling team manager speaks out after trans athlete competes against females in major competition

Nicola Cranmer, the general manager of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) women’s cycling team Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY28, provided a statement to OutKick after her riders recently competed in the Philadelphia Cycling Classic alongside a biological male trans athlete. The trans athlete did not finish.

Cranmer, who leads the longest running professional women’s cycling team in the world, emphasized the importance of “protecting the integrity and fairness” in speaking out. 

“I have spent more than 20 years working in women’s cycling and creating opportunities for female athletes, so I feel strongly about protecting the integrity and fairness of the women’s category,” Cranmer said.

Nicola Cranmer provided a statement to OutKick after after she learned there was a male cyclist in the women’s competition. (Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY28)

“I believe eligibility should be determined by clear, consistent rules established by our sport’s governing bodies, particularly the UCI, and that those rules should be applied equally and transparently to every athlete.

“The UCI has established specific eligibility requirements for participation in the women’s category, and I believe those regulations need to be respected if athletes are to have confidence in the fairness of their competition.

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“For this individual to compete raises legitimate questions about whether the process was consistent with current UCI policy and how those eligibility requirements were interpreted and applied.

Professional cyclists race in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art during the first lap of the men’s race in the Philadelphia Cycling Classic on Aug. 30, 2026, in Philadelphia, Pa. (Getty Images)

“Respecting individuals starts with respecting the female category. Every athlete deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, and women deserve a protected competitive category in which they can race fairly, safely and with confidence.”

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A race official who was there has provided a statement to OutKick addressing the situation.

“All riders were required to hold the appropriate international racing licenses, which officials cross-checked against UCI records before the event. Amanda Tait’s license and entry appeared valid, and nothing in the licensing information provided through USA Cycling identified Tait as male or otherwise indicated that Tait was ineligible to compete in the women’s field. 

“Race officials have also been repeatedly instructed that eligibility determinations of this kind are the responsibility of USA Cycling, not individual officials working registration or the race, even though clear eligibility requirements are defined in the UCI regs.

“The women’s race began at 8:35 Sunday morning. By the end of the first lap, officials’ phones began lighting up with messages from community members who recognized Tait on the broadcast and were questioning how Tait had been permitted to start in a UCI women’s race. 

“Officials identified Tait in the peloton, but Tait was subsequently dropped from the field and removed under the race’s standard time-cut procedures before any separate eligibility action could be taken. 

“Event staff and teams we spoke with after the race were unaware of the eligibility issue until it was brought to their attention. 

“From the information available to officials at registration, there was no apparent failure by the local registration team. The licensing information presented to them by USAC indicated that Tait was cleared to race in a women’s UCI event, and officials understood that eligibility decisions rested with USA Cycling.”

The race was sanctioned by the UCI, while domestic licensing was handled by USA Cycling.

The trans athlete, Amanda Tait, has competed in more than 60 women’s events since entering the category, which was first reported by Reduxx.

Tait placed fourth at the USA Cycling Masters and Junior Road National Championships in June, pushing Olympic gold medalist Gwen Jorgensen out of the top five.

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Tait moved from USA Cycling’s women’s development category, which is designed for beginners, to pro-level competition, and rapidly ascended in as little as 18 months.

The male-born competitor won a women’s race at the Prospect Park Cycling Series in Brooklyn on Aug. 8.

Chiara Consonni of Team CANYON/SRAM reacts after a photo finish win in the Philadelphia Cycling Classic on Aug. 30, 2026, in Philadelphia, Pa. (Getty Images)

Facing the trans athlete issue in their competitions, USA Cycling implemented new competition policy, which took effect in September 2025, but pro-life advocates have criticized its language as too weak to adequately protect the women’s division.

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Their policy dictates, “Female means a person belonging, at conception, to the sex that produces the large reproductive cell.” Eligibility for the women’s category is initially based on self-certification and an original birth certificate or other reliable facts, which critics say creates a loophole that can be exploited in states where sex markers can be amended.

The issue recalls the 2023 controversy over trans cyclist Austin Killips, whose dominant wins over female riders fueled concerns about fairness in women’s cycling.

USA Cycling retains sole authority to challenge a rider’s category status, leaving female competitors, team staff and race marshals without an independent mechanism to contest eligibility on race day.

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OutKick contacted USA Cycling’s Bonnie Walker and the UCI for comment on their enforcement process, but received no response prior to publication.