Emily Bridges determined to prove she boasts no advantage as trans woman cyclist

Transgender cyclist Emily Bridges has insisted it is wrong to believe she would have any advantage over her rivals if she was permitted to compete in women’s races.

In March cycling’s world governing body the UCI blocked Bridges, 21, from competing at the British national omnium championships at the 11th hour amid threats of a boycott from other riders.

Had Bridges raced in Derby, she would faced Dame Laura Kenny, sparking debate as to whether a rider who had previously set a junior men’s record and won the men’s points race at the British Universities’ championships a month before could have beaten the five-time Olympic champion.

It's like they automatically think I'm going to beat a multiple Olympic champion, just because I'm trans- Emily Bridges

In her first interview since that event, Bridges told DIVA magazine it was wrong to say that trans women in sport retain inherent advantages and claimed to be able to prove it.

“I understand how you’d come to this conclusion because a lot of people still view trans women as men with male anatomies and physiologies,” she said.

“But hormone replacement therapy has such a massive effect. The aerobic performance difference is gone after about four months.

“There are studies going on for trans women in sport. I’m doing one and the performance drop-off that I’ve seen is massive. I don’t have any advantage over my competitors and I’ve got data to back that up.”

Bridges had met British Cycling’s previous requirement – that riders in the female category have had testosterone levels below five nanomoles per litre for a 12-month period prior to competition – in time to race in Derby, but the UCI did not grant her a switch in licence.

During the subsequent debate, British Cycling said it