Austin Killips, a transgender female, finished in first place in the women’s category in the Tour of the Gila on Sunday, 30 April 2023.
Already wearing the leader's jersey to start the stage, Killips (Amy D Foundation) broke clear of the peloton in a small group in the final few minutes of racing on the "Gila Monster" stage, which took riders 110.9 km (65.9 miles) from Silver City to Piños Altos. Killips then peddled to victory at the top of the third-category finishing climb.
Marcela Prieto (Pato Bike BMC), who won the opening stage and wore the leader's jersey until Killips moved into the lead after the stage 3 time trial, achieved runner-up honours on the final stage. Killips's Amy D Foundation teammate Cassandra Nelson placed third.
Tour of the Gila: Killips secures women's overall win https://t.co/ZUs6GQb9pi
— Cyclingnews (@Cyclingnewsfeed) April 30, 2023
The Tour of the Gila 2023 also marked the first time in the event's 36-year history that equal prize money had been offered in both the men's and women's races, with a total prize of $35,350 (£28,145). Killips, who only took up cycling in 2019 before starting on hormone replacement therapy, earned almost £8,000 for finishing top of the women's general classification, plus an £800 bonus as "Queen of the Mountains".
Killips is a candidate to make the US Olympic women's cycling team in Paris next summer, should the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) maintain its policy of allowing transgender riders to compete so long as they suppress their testosterone levels below 2.5 nanomoles per litre over a two-year period. The average testosterone level for women is between 0.5 and 2.4 nmol/l, while the British Journal of Sports Medicine has suggested that trans women are stronger and maintain better heart and lung capacity than women, even 14 years after taking hormone therapy.
