![\"Philippa,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/7850766d9694c04158e0a87fede2cc5d-1760963725.jpeg\")
STV NewsPhilippa, once known as Robert Millar, rode the Tour de France 11 times. STV News<\/p>\nWidely regarded as Scotland\u2019s greatest ever road cyclist, Philippa York has said there \u201cwouldn\u2019t have been a Robert Millar\u201d if puberty blockers were available when she was a teenager. <\/p>\n
Philippa York, once known to the world as Robert Millar, was a cycling superstar of the 1980s and 90s.<\/p>\n
York rode the Tour de France 11 times, finishing fourth in 1984 and made history as the first Briton to claim the prestigious King of the Mountains title, earning the iconic polka dot jersey and becoming a pioneer for British cycling on the international stage.<\/p>\n
At the height of her success, York was fighting a personal battle as Robert Millar, while struggling with gender dysphoria.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere would be some days where it would be difficult, where I\u2019d have a lot of dysphoria,\u201d she told STV News. \u201cBut in the competition world, you can bury it. You remove all emotions from your life. I put on my competition face and tuned into this beast. I just tried to block it all out.\u201d<\/p>\n
STV NewsPhilippa, once known as Robert Millar, rode the Tour de France 11 times. STV News<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t until her mid-20s that York fully understood the nature of her identity, but knew transitioning while competing was not an option.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got to about the age of 25, 26 and became fully aware of what my issues were going to be. And I realised the world I was in. It wasn\u2019t going to happen. So I invested myself even more in my cycling. That way, when I finished, I had options where I didn\u2019t necessarily have to be a public figure anymore.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou go from being someone everyone admires, to being at the bottom of the pile again. It\u2019s a fight for respect and dignity. It\u2019s quite a social shift.\u201d<\/p>\n
Transitioning during her career, she said, was never even considered.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt just wasn\u2019t going to happen. Sport is quite insular and goes backwards when it comes to social issues. All that matters is the outcome how you get there has no morals. That sounds harsh, but it\u2019s the reality.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reflecting on her own journey, York acknowledges the toll of keeping her identity hidden during her competitive years and admits she would have taken a different path.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I were a young person today, I\u2019d be that teenager transitioning at 13 or 14. I think that\u2019s why I speak out. We\u2019re interrupting someone\u2019s life when we deny them what they need.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would have transitioned as a teenager. I wouldn\u2019t have been Robert Millar, the cyclist. I would have been Pippa doing something else. It shows you being successful in a career doesn\u2019t guarantee happiness.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t have the choice to forget what Robert did, so I deal with it. A lot of trans people don\u2019t want to revisit their past. For me, it\u2019s always going to be referenced. But I\u2019m gradually losing the mental anguish. I don\u2019t mind watching what I used to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the debate over whether trans athletes should be allowed to compete in their affirmed gender categories, York is unequivocal.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, they should. Look at history. There are so few trans athletes, and they never win. Remind me what the 100m record is for a trans person? There isn\u2019t one.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe physical and mental effects of transitioning mean you\u2019re very unlikely to be competitive at an elite level. It\u2019s one in millions to make it to the top, and there just aren\u2019t millions of us.<\/p>\n
\u201cShow me where it\u2019s not fair. Three trans athletes have competed at the Olympics in 25 years. They didn\u2019t win. One came last.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople don\u2019t realise the level of women\u2019s sport. It\u2019s not easier. It\u2019s slightly slower in some events, but that doesn\u2019t make it less competitive or less difficult.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour hormonal system runs your health. After the transition, the system that repairs muscle with protein no longer works the same. You hurt yourself training and don\u2019t recover. And you lose that competitive edge that testosterone gives you.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"York](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0100cce083b6b6ad40c107c0062d0b97-1760963716.jpeg\")
STV NewsYork was the first Briton to claim the King of the Mountains title. STV News<\/p>\n
On Scotland\u2019s Gender Recognition Reform Bill, York believes it was unnecessary political interference.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know why they fiddled with it. The system was working well enough. Self-ID exists in other countries like Spain, Scottish people go there on holiday, and it\u2019s not an issue.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a waste of time, a distraction. Is my existence an issue? Because to me, it\u2019s just not a thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now living in Dorchester, York is taking part in a local literary festival for her new book \u201cMy Name is Philippa\u201d, co-written with David Walsh.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was about controlling what was said about me. But revisiting some personal situations was traumatic. The racing stuff was easier, but everyone\u2019s life goes wrong for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n
And while York still cycles three times a week, it\u2019s for peace, not performance.<\/p>\n
\u201cI ride from my house to stay healthy. My mental health improves, too. That\u2019s really good.\u201d<\/p>\n
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