This summer, the Canadian cycling scene demanded attention around the world. Newspapers, magazines, radio shows and television talk shows, all focused in on one of the most controversial topics of the summer-Michelle Dumaresq.

The news came out in the spring. The Canadian Cycling Association had issued a women's race licence to B.C. rider Dumaresq. Dumaresq was a man over seven years ago, and is now a post-op transsexual woman.

The controversy started when Dumaresq started winning women's downhill races. She tried a few in 2001 with one-day licences and met the podium. Her early roots in mountain biking began more than 15 years ago as a young teenage boy, and only last year did she consider racing. She was actually encouraged to race by a group of female mountain bikers who race on the Canadian circuit today. However, it was these same women who created a petition to ban Dumaresq from racing and issued it to the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) in June. In the meantime, Dumaresq raced on the World Cup circuit and the local Canadian scene.

In August, Dumaresq collected enough points in the Canada Cup Final to win the overall series. This win earned her an automatic berth on the National Team and a spot on the Worlds Team. Less than 10 days later, the UCI issued a decision regarding the petition. It decided to allow Dumaresq to race at the MTB Worlds because the CCA issued her a licence that proved her to be a woman, both physically and legally. Unfortunately, the decision was not backed up by any released medical results and no testing was done on Dumaresq. Many have been left unsettled by this unpromising and final decision, even Dumaresq herself.

Some argue that Dumaresq has the advantage of bigger bones, more testosterone, larger lung capacity, greater aggression-assertiveness, and more muscle mass than any other “natural” women. Dumaresq and some doctors will argue that after seven years of hormone therapy chemical changes within her body have taken away any advantage, and that she has actually lost muscle mass and testosterone.

Is it fair? The issue is not only ethical, but also one that will plague all sports organizations from this day forward. Dumaresq states it perfectly when she comments, “It's only a matter of time before some hockey player, who grew up playing men's hockey as a teenager, changes gender 10 years later, plays on the women's hockey team, makes the National Team, and plays for the National Team. It might have already happened.”

Dumaresq finished 24th at the World Championships. She is a great mountain biker and a really nice person. Is it fair that she races on the women's World Cup circuit? So far she's been given that right. Is it fair that no medical testing was done to verify the fairness of the situation? Most agree, no. Will it affect the outcome of similar situations in the future? Most definitely.