Transgender athlete sparks controversy after finishing first in New York City cycling event

A Transgender athlete's win in a New York City women's cycling event has sparked online outrage. 

An Instagram post from NYC Cycling News shows transgender athlete Tiffany Thomas, a biological male, standing on the first-place podium after winning Randall’s Island Criteriums over the weekend.

"Nothing to see here, just a 46-year-old biological man winning his 16th event against women," sports outlet Outkick tweeted Thursday. "Tiffany Thomas the transgender cyclist is the latest to do their part in ruining women's sports."

Thomas, who rides for LA Sweat, started racing in 2018, according to cyclist tracker RoadResults. Thomas has competed in more than 70 races, winning 15. 

"I bet Tiffany Thomas just trained harder," Post Millennial writer Libby Emmons jokingly tweeted. 

Thomas said Thursday in an Instagram post that stories were written after the race with "the intent was to intimidate and harass transgender athletes (in this case me) to make our lives as miserable as possible so that we leave the sport."

The women who ranked second and third to Thomas appear happy in the original Instagram photo, and Thomas said they were her close friends.

Commentator Tim Pool took note of the women's faces, sarcastically tweeting, "the females who lost are happy[.] this is the way[.] females need to learn to smile as they sit beneath males"