I’ve learned to ignore the cruel jibes, now people’s kindness moves me to tears
Pippa York tells how fans have embraced her life transition
SCOTLAND’S greatest Tour de France cyclist has opened up on a new life of greater acceptance after transitioning to be a woman.
Pippa York, who raced as Robert Millar, admits she learned to put up against defences against society’s prejudice.
But she still feels awkward dealing with the increasingly frequent kindness and common decency she now typically experiences, as barriers to trans acceptance break down.
In an emotional “Cafe Ride” video broadcast on YouTube with former cycling pro Matt Stephens, Pippa frequently bursts into tears as she tells how cruel jibes and ignorance have given way to routine courtesy.
Former British champion Pippa, now a cycling pundit on TV, did the interview during a ride that visited famous bike routes around the central belt, including the Crow Road in Lennoxtown, where a giant mural was recently painted in her honour.
Glaswegian Pippa told Matt: “Even though I’ve transitioned 20 years I haven’t been used to people being nice to me.
“The thing is that people being nasty to me doesn’t hurt me because I go into the mode of when I was a rider and people shout abuse at you and I just use that training – in that it’s their problem, not mine.
“It’s the other stuff, the unexpected stuff which I
haven’t yet mastered.
“Or maybe I never will because I’m allowed to be emotional now.”
Pippa, who famously won the King of the Mountains prize in the Tour de France in 1984, said she put on a macho exterior during her pro cycling days to hide her gender confusion.
She said: “What happens with a lot of trans people from that kind of era is because it was so unaccepted, you’re treated as a freak show. You would kind of find something which promoted a vision of masculinity so you go into something quite macho and quite physical.
“You find a lot of people who transitioned and find they were in the Army or they worked on the oil rigs or something like that. They never did genteel stuff.
“There was always an atmosphere when you portrayed all the good aspects of masculinity and you could kind of hide in amongst that and I certainly did.” She added: “Because I could do elite sport I could focus everything on just doing that and then all the gender stuff would kind of bubble away underneath or be completely hidden some years.
“But in early years it would come back and I’d see something that would kind of trigger it again and I buried myself in it because it was easier to do that than it was to actually deal with it.
“About halfway through my career I discovered I was going to have to deal with it at the end.” Pippa publicly announced her gender transition in 2017, as she bravely prepared to re-enter public life as a pundit for ITV4’s commentary team for the Tour de France.
The YouTube interview has received an enthusiastic reception from cycling fans and others.
Elena Dale commented: “As a trans person, and cyclist, it’s so great to see Pippa treated with the respect she deserves.
“What a champion in so many ways.”
Ian Anderson added: “Robert
Millar was my first cycling ‘hero’. Pippa York is still a hero to me.”
Richie Watkin said: “I don’t think there is a cycling fan out there that doesn’t love listening to what Pippa has to say on cycling.
“Hard to watch her get upset there, hopefully she sees the good reaction to this and sees the reality that the cycling community are still massive fans and always will be.” ●Watch the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=5abgXEWQPlI