cyclist
“I have decided to end my cycling career,” Arensman said last Wednesday. (Representation image.) Warren Faidley/Gettyimages

Hannah Arensman, a former women's cycling champion, chose to quit the sport after losing a podium spot at a major national cycling event to a biologically male, trans-identifying female cyclist.

Arensman supported her choice by making a statement in a Supreme Court filing on the subject.

"I have decided to end my cycling career," she said last Wednesday.

She said in her last race, in the elite women's division of the UCI Cyclocross National Championships in late December, she "came in 4th place, flanked on either side by male riders awarded 3rd and 5th places."

"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," she wrote, in a statement also shared by the Independent Council on Women's Sports (ICONS).

"Additionally, it is difficult for me to think about the very real possibility I was overlooked for an international selection on the US team at Cyclocross Worlds in February 2023 because of a male competitor."

She said that it "has become increasingly discouraging to train as hard as I do only to have to lose to a man with the unfair advantage of an androgenized body that intrinsically gives him an obvious advantage over me, no matter how hard I train."

"I feel for young girls learning to compete and who are growing up in a day when they no longer have a fair chance at being the new record holders and champions in cycling," she wrote.

"I have felt deeply angered, disappointed, overlooked, and humiliated that the rule makers of women's sports do not feel it is necessary to protect women's sports to ensure fair competition for women anymore," she wrote in the filing.

Tiffany Thomas, 47, a trans woman cyclist, took the podium at the Randall's Island Crit on Saturday, raising her arms high in celebration. This marks at least 20 victories since Tiffany began competing in 2018, while she was already in her forties, New York Post reported.

The New York City-based biologist shared pictures of herself from the event in full flight while sporting the vivid orange team kit of her team sponsor, LA Sweat.

Thomas — who also regularly posts pics of her weightlifting — received love and support in response to her messages.

Her victory, however, quickly sparked fierce criticism, with an NYC cycling outlet that posted her podium pics disabling the flood of angry comments.

One critic said they "feel so bad for woman athletes in America that have trained their entire lives" to lose out to transgender athletes who some experts say carry a genetic advantage even after hormone therapy.

A fellow cyclist, using the hashtag #SaveWomensSports, said that Thomas had gone "from a total beginner to the elite level in just 5 years."

"Tiffany's teammates are all between the ages of 24 and 32. Amazing that Tiffany can keep up with them at the age of 46 after only starting cycling at age 40!" she wrote sarcastically.

On Thursday, Thomas directly addressed the criticism of her own victory.

The "intent was to intimidate and harass transgender athletes (in this case me) to make our lives as miserable as possible so that we leave the sport," she wrote of the backlash.

One fellow racer told her that it was "an absolute honor to race with you my beautiful friend."

Thomas expressed concern that her controversy would come at the cost of losing sponsors and support to her teammates in earlier posts.

Her sponsor, LA Sweat, told her, "Your existence on this team does nothing but immensely add to it with your teamwork and motivation. We got you!"

Last year, during an interview with NYC Bike Culture, Thomas insisted race promoters have an "obligation" to develop policies that punish people in the sport who offer "an aggressive response" to the participation of biologically male, trans-identifying female cyclists.

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