He's Going the Distance...

Go ahead and hash this out, but the only thing that will make this fair, is to not fucking do this.

Leave your 44 cm bar at home and No one gets hurt.

If I were to say that I am "All for Inclusion" -- That would be a lie.  I do (of course) always welcome a good argument on "diverse" topics, but I generally draw the line on Biology.
More specifically the Biodiversity of Bullshit.  In cycling events there are a few hard rules we agree to follow to keep things safe, and 'fair'.  When athletes sign up for amateur races, they have to sign a waiver, stating that they won't sue the sponsors if they crash.  They also generally tell the truth about their age, and gender so they can compete somewhat fairly against other people in far better physical condition, but with similar birthdates and chromosomes.

And May the Better Man Win

These are reasonable social constructs which make participation in an event exciting, and worth  the entry fee.
Wherever you reside on the totem pole of ability -- It is generally only your fault that you didn't medal, or (gasp) didn't finish (DNF).
What happens when you sign up for the men's elite category 46-55, and with a reasonable chance of success in your age range, you are beaten outright?  No trophy, No medal, No prize money... Just roll your bike off the course, and onto your hitch-rack -- Start your engine, and seek consolation in a cheeseburger.
"He's Going the distance... He's going for Speed"

https://twitter.com/icons_women/status/1638413277817634816

It is fine to feel upset. It's understandable to feel disappointment..., but it's your own dumb-shit fault for thinking you could ever win against a woman, right?
You are 5-foot 2-inches, 101 lbs, of lean muscle, who worked the better of two years  training for this race.  Two weeks ago the race organizers mailed you your race number, and today it's pinned and ready to get filthy. You signed up for this Elite Women's race 6 months ago, having tracked great successes winning 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 3rd, and 1st in your last five races, and you know statistically that you stand a great chance of winning this one.  Before the gun goes off, you sweat the starters at the line whom you have raced against many times, but now (today) beside you is  a  219 lb, 6-foot 2-inch 40-something man in a pink bunny-skull body-suit smiling coyly at you like a gay bartender from the love-boat, and smelling quite ripe.
Your pulse quickens, and your ears get hot... Your initial thought is to second guess you are in the right race time.  It's 2:00.  This is the right slot. 
Then you blush, and your mouth goes dry.  You are surrounded by your people, true...  you know many of them, and you have raced against several you see now, and then there is this dude who's nut-sack is straddling a 58 centimeter bike beside you. He is sporting a Three-o'clock shadow, adjusting a barrette before adjusting his helmet. 
Cheater's Pre-Race Checklist:

• 44 cm handlebar
• Men's size 12 Shoes
• Men's 58cm Carbon frame
• Men's shorts
• Adam's Apple
• Nut-sack
• Scratchy face
• Pink Fucking Helmet
• Teal eye-shadow...

Later at the podium they'll kick out the middle block before assembling XX, XY, XX for the photo-op -- because it would further embarrass second & third-place to have this massive dude-lady tower yet another 6 inches above you and your  gender aligned challenger.  

"He won".

'He won', is all that repeats in your pounding head. Your eyes go to pin-holes, your heart throbs, and your face heats crimson.  A dark mute tunnel-vision besets as you stand beneath this fucker at the podium. Second Place. Your family and friends in front of you fractal into a kaleidoscope of broken shards. 

​Second Place.

"He Won the Women's race today" 

---

" Thomas went from “a total beginner to the elite level in just 5 years.” 
In response to the criticism, Thomas wrote on Instagram on Thursday that “my two best friends are just as strong as me, I just happened to have a better day on that particular day. They will assuredly beat me at future races.”
Last week, Hannah Arensman, a 35-time winner on the national cyclocross circuit, said in an amicus brief to the United States Supreme Court that she retired from her sport when she finished in fourth place between two male-bodied “transgender” athletes at a competition (via the Supreme Court of the United States):
I have decided to end my cycling career. At my last race at the recent UCI Cyclocross National Championships in the elite women’s category in December 2022, I came in 4th place, flanked on either side by male riders awarded 3rd and 5th places. My sister and family sobbed as they watched a man finish in front of me, having witnessed several physical interactions with him throughout the race. 
Additionally, it is difficult for me to think about the very real possibility I was overlooked for an international selection on the US team at Cyclocross Worlds in February 2023 because of a male competitor. 
Moving forward, I feel for young girls learning to compete and who are growing up in a day when they no longer have a fair chance at being the new record 20 holders and champions in cycling because men want to compete in our division. I have felt deeply angered, disappointed, overlooked, and humiliated that the rule makers of women’s sports do not feel it is necessary to protect women’s sports to ensure fair competition for women anymore.