Mistaken Identity

Scrawny guys with shaved legs, girls with tats, guys turned girls. I wasn't aware that one of my responsibilities as a cyclist is identifying the gender of others riders based on the appearance of their backsides, but according to the officials, it is. Today I went to a race and got disqualified for drafting behind a man. In the other races I been in, it is very clear when the guys are coming to pass because of numerous audible warnings from their pace car. As was no audible warning today, I was completely not expecting a guy to come up from behind. I assumed that it was a woman and jumped on his wheel. The lean physique and uniform seemed to match with a woman I saw on the start line and I didn't have any reason to think too hard about it. Apparently we had been silently passed by the men's pace car some time before which could have been a warning to me to try a quick gender check on any backsides which appeared in my peripheral vision. Unfortunately, I was too concerned with the business of pedaling, chasing down attacks, and thinking about the finish than to notice the pace car. Sorry to turn this day sour for my team, who did an excellent job today with winning primes and taking 3rd.