USA Cycling aims to update its transgender athlete participation policy and establish a new category for transgender athletes to compete across domestic races within the United States.

From 2024/1/1, transgender athletes seeking to compete in USAC-accredited events will be classified as either Group A or Group B athletes, depending on their discipline and race category.According to a press release from USA Cycling on Thursday.

As of 2023-7-17, uci prohibits transgender women from competing in the women's category at uci-sanctioned events on the international calendar in all areas if they transition after puberty. Any athlete seeking to compete in a UCI-approved event must comply with the UCI Eligibility Rules for transgender Athletes.

In a USAC-sanctioned event, Group A athletes are those seeking to compete in the country in Categories 1 and 2 with Pro in road, track and cyclocross, and are in the pro category in all categories across mountain biking and BMX.

These athletes must complete an "Elite Athlete Fairness Assessment Application" for review by an independent medical panel.

According to the USA Cycling announcement, the process includes the submission of medical documents indicating that the athlete's total testosterone level in the serum is less than 24 nmol/L for at least 2.5 months and must be completed 90 days before the first day of the race the athlete is about to compete in.

Group B players are those seeking to compete domestically in Categories 3, 4 and 5, beginners in road, track and cyclocross races, and Category 1, 2 and 3 in mountain biking.

These athletes are required to complete a "self-confirmation request" for review by the USA Cycling Technical Director.

USA Cycling states that this process is intended to document changes in the gender identity of the athlete and must be completed 30 days before the first day of the race the athlete intends to compete in.

"The revision of our transgender participation policy was a complex process guided by several factors. Most important was the direction of the board that called for a balance between fairness and inclusion to be a priority," said Brendan Quirk, CEO of USA Cycling.

"Our work is to study the UCI's latest review of the latest scientific literature, assess the U.S. legal environment and similar policies from other sports organizations, and use this as an opportunity for our athletes, K U.S. legal and scientific findings to evolve and make further reviews and revisions to this policy as necessary.

Until May 7, uci guidelines require transgender female athletes to declare that their gender identity is female, prove that their total testosterone levels in their serum are below 24 nmol/L for at least 2.5 months, and then determine the period of desirable qualification to compete in the female category. It stipulates that it must remain at 2.5nmol/L throughout the year.

The guidelines were revised in response to a roundtable discussion between key stakeholders on 6 May and a Management Committee meeting on 7 May. The new guidelines followed other sports and banned transgender female athletes from competing in the women's category at UCI-approved international competitions. UCI also cited a document written by its medical director, Xavier Bigard, as part of the reason for revising its guidelines. This can be found here: Current Knowledge on the Effects of gender-affirming Therapy on Markers of Performance in transgender Female Cyclists", updated in 2023-5.