Claire Sharpe has spoken out against the exclusion of trans women (Instagram)

Claire Sharpe has spoken out against the exclusion of trans women (Instagram)

A cycling influencer has declined to be included on a list of the top 100 female cyclists because it specifically excluded trans women.

Claire Sharpe, a cycling guide and coach from Bristol who has close to 6,000 followers on Instagram, was set to be included in Cycling UK’s 100 Women in Cycling list for 2025, which celebrates those who “inspire, encourage and empower others to experience the joy of cycling”.

However, in a video shared on her Instagram, Sharpe revealed that she would be turning down the honour after discovering “Cycling UK didn’t mean all women.”

In her video, Sharpe described the decision as “a huge shame” because to her “cycling is about freedom, connection and community, not exclusion”.

She went on to say: “I have been lucky enough to ride with so many awesome women who shaped what kind of rider I am and what I do. If they don’t want to ride with all women, that’s not the kind of ride I want to be a part of.”

She told BBC Bristol: “[The list] was originally set up to celebrate women who inspire, encourage and empower people to experience the joy of cycling. By excluding trans and non-binary people, it’s not doing what I think it was set up to do. It excludes people [who] have helped create the community that I was nominated for.”

Sharpe urged trans men and women who want to get involved in cycling not to be disheartened, insisting that cycling communities were welcoming and inclusive places. “They’re not a reflection of the communities that we’ve built, and certainly in Bristol there are many options to go out and ride with people who aren’t taking this stance,” she said.

Cycling UK chief executive Sarah Mitchell told the BBC that the decision was based on legal advice. “For our awards to comply with the law, we have to limit who can be considered for an award to biological women only,” she said.

“This change to the awards doesn’t alter our strong commitment to including and supporting all those who cycle, including transgender and non-binary people. We truly believe cycling is for all, and we’ll keep working towards that goal.”

In April, the UK Supreme Court issued a verdict in the case of in the case of For Women Scotland vs Scottish Ministers, deeming the legal definition of “sex” and “woman” for the purposes of the 2010 Equality Act referred to “biological sex” and “biological women” only.

In the wake of the ruling, the UK’s human rights watchdog, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), published interim guidance which recommended organisations and service providers to bar trans men and women from single-sex services and spaces, such as changing rooms and toilets, which align with their gender, and added that in “some circumstances” transgender people could also be prevented from using spaces based on “biological sex”.

It was later clarified that these “circumstances” referred to situations where “reasonable objection” could be taken to a trans person’s presence, such as in female spaces when “the gender reassignment process has given [a trans man] a masculine appearance or attributes”.

The guidance has been criticised by LGBTQ+ and human rights organisations as well as some MPs but many organisations, bodies and services have already started following it.

The commissioner for human rights for the Council of Europe, Michael O’Flaherty, claimed in a letter that the UK’s “zero-sum approach” to trans rights would lead to a “widespread exclusion of transgender people from many public spaces”.

The EHRC sent the finished version of its code of practice to equalities minister Bridget Phillipson in September and a leak published in The Times showed it closely resembled the interim version, despite the criticism. 

The final version has not yet been made public but the interim guidance has been removed from the EHRC website.

Following the Supreme Court decision, registered charity Cycling UK decided not to include trans women or non-binary people in its 100 Women in Cycling list.

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