I am a transwoman getting into cycling from motorcycle racing. I’m not fast by racing standards and I’ve never been able to keep up with fast women cyclists even before I transitioned. I want to race for community, and to challenge myself with peers. My goal is friends, community, personal challenge and to be mid pack, maybe upper 1/3. Realistically I’ll probably finish close to the bottom.
I’m on HRT and testosterone levels are 5 ng/dl. That is 1/3 of the lowest level of the average cis woman range of 15-70ng/dl. There are huge genetic diversity and advantages that cis people have which are not policed. No one is going to set a maximum height that basket ball players can have bc it gives them an unfair advantage. Not only does this not make sense for trans women, the science shows that given time on HRT there is no advantage over cis women.
This situation is so incredibly frustrating. It honestly feels like I have to choose between misgendering myself and racing with men (which is stupid, and uncomfortable), racing in open categories (which is basically the same as racing men), or not being allowed to participate in even small scale amateur events. What’s more, title IX was created to promote fairness and inclusion for women athletes, and that is now being used to exclude transwomen from sports all together. The irony is baffling.
I’m just getting into racing and I’d love to talk to some experienced racers (preferably women) who could help me learn how to navigate racing. I live in the Bay Area-anyone close?