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.MARTINA NAVRATILOVA SAYS BILLIE JEAN KING’S TRANS-ATHLETE STANCE ‘DOESN’T SQUARE’ WITH HER OWN WORDS"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."USA VOLLEYBALL SUGGESTS CHANGES COMING TO SEX TESTING, WHILE JUNIOR FAMILIES RAISE MALE ATHLETE CONCERNSA race official who was there has provided a statement to OutKick addressing the situation."All riders were required to hold the appropriate international raci...