A cyclist that came in second in a race said she 'couldn't care less' that she lost to a trans woman.
Lesley Mumford won the Desert Gravel Co2Ut race, a 100-mile course from Colorado to Utah, in the 40-49 year age group with an impressive time of 06:28:01, as per Pink News.
Falling right under her was Lindsey Kriete, who placed just 17 seconds behind Mumford.
Mumford came sixth overall in the women's category, which led her to stand alone on the podium for her age group.
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Kriete and Michelle van Sickle, who came in third, were missing from the podium.
According to the Daily Mail, Mumford said in an Instagram post that while she was pleased with her result, she noticed the absence of competitors.
"I have no idea why so many people bailed before the podiums, but they did," she wrote.
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But Kriete has shut down rumors it was because she was salty over losing to a trans woman.
She told the outlet that she didn't need to stay because she didn't place top three.
“I knew I hadn’t placed in the top three overall, so I didn’t stick around. I waited for my friends to finish, we drank some beer, ate some food, then headed back to shower and sleep," she told the outlet.
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She added: "I could not care less if the winner was transgender – what does that matter?”
Despite Kriete's comments, Mumford has faced significant backlash from those outspoken about trans athletes.
However, the organizer of the race has stepped in to defend her.
A spokesperson for the event said on Facebook: “At no time did any rider report any concern to us or protest [against] these results.
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“We have confirmed that the age group winner has undergone all required surgeries and treatments to transition from a man to a woman and would thereby qualify as a woman racer under both USA Cycling and International Olympic Committee rules.
“As we were not aware of this situation or the concerns it may have created and as we did not have a rule (or specific category) defining transgender vs non-binary individuals, the official results of the race will remain as they are.”
They added that they 'fully support differences in opinion' and realize that 'people may not like us or our events' due to their policies.
UNILAD has approached Desert Gravel and Mumford for comment.
Charisa Bossinakis