Gay cyclist

In MayI wrote a feature questioning why, among the more than male cyclists employed on UCI professional teams, not a single one was openly gay or bisexual. Just weeks earlier, pro BMX rider Corey Walsh had come out as gay, and by October, Australian footballer Josh Cavallo had become the world's first openly gay male professional footballer.

If even football could open up and accept gay players, surely it was only a matter of time for cycling. Yet here we gay cyclist four years gay cyclist and, in male professional road cycling, representation remains stuck at zero. It is statistically almost impossible that there are no gay pros.

The latest sexual orientation data from the ONS indicate that Yet not one has revealed it publicly. There has been one watershed event. Just two months after my feature — Why is the peloton hiding its true colours? He explained that he had decided to tell team-mates about his sexuality five years earlier - only after a near- fatal accident in which he was hit by a car and trapped beneath its wheels, breaking both arms.

For the past two years, Davies, who is 32, has been the country's number-one ranked elite rider - at amateur level, he is as high a profile figurehead as we could hope for. I wanted to catch up with Davies and ask him whether, like me, he had hoped a male pro rider or two might follow his lead and break what is effectively a sexuality omerta.

This is an important point: in the UAE, the state that sponsors the world's top-ranked team, gay sex can carry a prison sentence of up to 14 years. The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox! Davies believes there are gay men in the World Tour but that they keep quiet about their sexuality for fear of jeopardising their career prospects.

With trans inclusion an ever more politicised and polarised issue, what is the lived experience of a trans cyclist in Britain? We spoke to year-old Farrah Herbert to find out. I'm a ride captain for them now, leading group rides, and I recently completed Ride Across Britain.

They have no scientific proof. My body has not produced testosterone for 10 years, and I know I haven't got an advantage because I ride with cis women and they beat me all the time! Women in general are underrepresented in cycling, let alone trans women. We need more LGBTQ-friendly clubs across the country, and for regular clubs gay cyclist make it clear that everybody is welcome.

Just a progress symbol on their website can make a huge difference. To add to the stress with that sort of media attention they just won't have the mental capacity for it.

Straight-faced silence: Is there an omerta on sexuality in the men's pro peloton?

What did that initial "weirdness" amount to? The generation that used to make sly comments have all gone now. He tells me gay cyclist is in contact with "about 10" other gay or bi male racers, four of whom compete "at a decent level" - and agrees to ask if any would be willing to speak to me for this feature.

In the meantime, through the inclusive cycling club Ldn Riders, I make contact with Greg Speakman, a year-old gay man who over the past few years has raced prolifically and now holds a second-cat licence. Unlike in team sports with openly gay leagues, it's harder to find like-minded people and role models in cycling.

There is no deterring him, though - his race schedule is already filling up. I'll keep saying it-come and have a go! The rider, whom we'll refer to as Jack not his real nameis in his earlys and competes at the sharp end of amateur road racing. After messaging him, I hear nothing back for a full day and begin to suspect he has had second thoughts.