The trans woman cyclist Emily Bridges has broken her silence to attack cycling’s governing body, the UCI, and the media after she was excluded from the women’s section of the British National Omnium Championships on Saturday.
The 21-year-old, who set a national junior men’s record over 25 miles in 2018, had been due to compete against several British Olympians, including Dame Laura Kenny, in her first race in the women’s category.
However on Wednesday night the UCI ruled Bridges was ineligible as she was still registered as a male cyclist. Its decision came after several riders held talks about boycotting the event in protest as they felt Bridges had an unfair advantage.
In a statement published on Friday, Bridges insisted that she had been in contact with British Cycling and the UCI for the last six months – and was therefore surprised she had been barred.
“I have provided both British Cycling and the UCI with medical evidence that I meet the eligibility criteria for transgender female cyclists, including that my testosterone limit has been far below the limit prescribed by the regulations for the last 12 months,” Bridges said. “Despite the public announcement, I still have little clarity around their finding of my ineligibility under their regulations.
“I am an athlete, and I just want to race competitively again. No one should have to choose between being who they are, and participating in the sport that they love.”
Bridges also claimed that she had been “relentlessly harassed and demonised” by the media, who she said had written stories about her to boost their web traffic.
- Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhones or the Google Play store on Android phones by searching for 'The Guardian'.
- If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.
- In the Guardian app, tap the yellow button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.
- Turn on sport notifications.
“They attack anything that isn’t the norm and print whatever is most likely to result in the highest engagement for their articles, and bring in advertising,” she added.
“This is without care for the wellbeing of individuals or marginalised groups, and others are left to pick up the pieces due to their actions. My privacy has been totally violated over speculation around my eligibility and fairness to compete.”
