Trans-identifying cyclist wins two Oregon women’s races by combined 48 minutes under OBRA rules

A trans-identifying biological male cyclist won two Oregon women’s mountain bike races in an eight-day span, including one by more than 36 minutes.

Chloë Spritz won the Elite Women division at Silver Falls XC in Silver Falls State Park on May 16, according to official results posted by the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association. Spritz finished in 2:16:37. Stephanie Taplin, the only other listed Elite Women finisher, came in second at 2:52:38.

That's a 36-minute, one-second margin.

Eight days later, Spritz won the Elite Women division at Sisters Stampede, the OBRA XC MTB Championship, in Sisters, Oregon. Spritz finished in 1:43:13. Hannah Thomas, again the only other listed Elite Women finisher, came in second at 1:55:29.

That's another 12-minute, 16-second gap.

And this was not just a local race with no championship implications. OBRA listed Sisters Stampede as the OBRA XC MTB Championship, and OBRA’s administrative rules say State Championship medals and jerseys are awarded only to annual members.

So, to recap: Spritz won two Elite Women races in May 2026 by a combined 48 minutes and 17 seconds over the only other listed finishers.

But the results are only part of the story.

Now comes the policy that made it possible.

OBRA’s 2026 racing rules state that, for all OBRA-sanctioned events and categories, including OBRA Championships, members may self-select the gender category that best aligns with their gender identity in everyday life. The rules also extend that policy to non-binary and gender-expansive members, who may choose either the Men/Open or Women category.

In other words, OBRA’s women’s category is not based on biological sex, testosterone thresholds or whether an athlete experienced male puberty. It is based entirely on self-identified gender identity. That's a problem.

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The rules also say that if a member files a grievance, the member must provide evidence that another rider’s gender identity does not match that rider’s everyday life, and OBRA will not investigate a member’s gender identity until sufficient evidence is provided.

That's not much of a path for female athletes who object on fairness grounds.

A woman who believes she should not have to race against a biological male is not really being given a biological-sex argument under that rule. She is being told to prove the athlete’s gender identity is not consistent in everyday life.

But it gets worse.

OBRA’s Code of Conduct includes gender identity in its harassment policy. The code says harassment can include negative or disparaging comments about a participant’s gender identity, lists no exceptions and says harassment violations can lead to discipline, including suspension or expulsion from OBRA.

So female cyclists are put in a nearly impossible position.

They can lose to a biological male in the women’s category. They can be told the rules allow it. And if they complain too loudly, they risk having their objections framed as harassment.

That's the opposite of protecting women’s sports.

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USA Cycling has gone in the opposite direction. Its competition category policy, effective Sept. 15 2025, says the women’s category is limited to individuals who meet its definition of female, and that an individual who was not identified as female at birth may not participate in the women’s category at USA Cycling-sanctioned competitive events.

The UCI, cycling’s international governing body, also moved in July 2023 to prohibit trans-identifying biological males who went through male puberty from competing in women’s events on the UCI International Calendar. The organization said scientific knowledge did not confirm that hormone therapy could fully eliminate the advantages gained from male puberty.

So the national and international governing bodies have recognized the problem.

OBRA apparently has not.

OutKick has covered this issue in cycling repeatedly. Austin Killips, a biological male, won a women’s race by more than five minutes in 2023, and female cyclist Paige Onweller called out the obvious fairness problem afterward.

OutKick also reported in 2024 that cycling teams featuring transgender racers, biological males, swept the top three spots in a women’s race in Washington.

Oregon has also become one of the flashpoints in the larger women’s sports debate. OutKick previously spoke with Oregon high school athlete Lilian Hammond about trans-identifying males competing in girls’ sports, and the Department of Education later opened a Title IX investigation into Portland Public Schools, OSAA and the Oregon Department of Education over gender-identity participation policies.

Different sport, same issue.

Women’s categories exist for a reason. They exist because males and females are physically different. They exist because female athletes deserve their own division, their own podiums, their own championship opportunities and their own recognition.

Spritz did not break OBRA’s rules.

That’s why this isn’t about one person.

The rules are the problem.