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Original story published on May 19, 2023. Updated July 3, 2023.
A transgender cyclist won the female category at a gravel race but stood alone on the winners' podium after the event.
The second- and third-place winners were absent from the medal ceremony after Lesley Mumford won her age group in the 100-mile Desert Gravel Co2Ut. Mumford was born a male and transitioned to female in 2017.
Mumford posted a picture on Instagram of her standing at the podium alone but smiling and holding the first-place medal.
"I have no idea why so many people bailed before the podiums, but they did," Mumford wrote after finishing ahead of 43 female athletes in the 40-49 division.
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Riders pass by an eroded backdrop in Utah. (Jonathan Devich/Getty Images)
Mumford finished sixth in the race's overall female category.
The event did offer a nonbinary division, but Mumford decided to compete in the female category.
Mumford outpaced Lindsey Kriete by 17 minutes. Kriete finished in second place, while Michelle Van Sickle finished third.
Niether Kriete nor Van Sickle publicly commented on their decision not to join Mumford at the podium at the time of the event.
Former Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines took to Twitter and said, "Enough is enough!"
"Empty podium except for the male who naturally finished atop all the women in the women’s category. Despite there being a non-binary/trans category he easily could have competed in. Keep it up girls!" Gaines wrote in a tweet.
The three-time Olympian and Tour de France medalist called the second- and third-place runners' actions "silent protests."
"The silent protests are starting!" Thompson wrote.
Ms. Kriete reached out to Fox News to clarify that she was absent from the podium because, directly after completing the race, she enjoyed a beer and a bite to eat, waited for her friends to finish, and then left the venue with her friends after they finished. She also stated that she was not absent from the podium because of a bias or as a silent protest against transgender women participating in women’s sports. Fox News attempted to reach out to Ms. Van Sickle for comment regarding her absence from the podium, but she did not immediately respond.
Mumford spent 17 years working in law enforcement before she began to transition about six years ago. According to CBS News, Mumford was believed to be the first known transgender command-level law enforcement officer to transition.
Mumford worked in the Summit County Sheriff’s Office and recalled a staff meeting where her son told her co-workers about her transition.
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"The sheriff asked everyone, ‘Hey, I’ve heard there are some rumors about why we’re here today. Does anybody want to share one?’" Mumford recalled during an interview with Summit Daily.
"Devin, my 7-year-old-son, raises his hand, stands up on his chair and says, ‘Because my mom’s going to tell you she’s transgender.’"
EDITOR’S NOTE: A prior version of this article stated that the second and third place winner in the women’s 40-49 division refused to stand at the winner’s podium and included references indicating the absence was related to a transgender athlete’s first place finish. This article has been updated to clarify the reason second place finisher Lindsey Kriete was absent from the winner’s podium, and Fox News’ efforts to seek comment from third place finisher Michelle Van Sickle.
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