Tour of the Gila celebrates another year of racing in the Gila. The 36th year of this iconic event was made possible by the tremendous dedication and support of numerous volunteers from the southwestern New Mexico community.

This race marks the first time an openly trans athlete (Austin Killips from Amy D Foundation) has won a UCI Women's Stage Race. Tour of the Gila is a UCI sanctioned and regulated race; as such, Tour of the Gila is required to follow the rules and regulations set forth by UCI. All rules and regulations on racer eligibility and classification are set forth by the UCI and USA Cycling and must be followed by event organizers.

Tour of the Gila recognizes the passionate debate regarding rider eligibility and classifications of riders set by UCI and USA Cycling and encourages UCI and USA Cycling to host an open discussion on the matter. All comments regarding rider eligibility should be directed to UCI and USA Cycling.

UCI: uci.org | USA Cycling: usacycling.org | Amy D Foundation: amydfoundation.org

[Editor's Note: The Beat will reach out to UCI, USA Cycling and Amy D Foundation. But don't expect much.]