I started cycling at 14 years old, classification school boy.
Later male junior, Under 21 male, Senior Male 3rd Cat, 2nd Cat, 1st Cat, Professional male, and now Veteran male.
Throughout which I frequently raced against girls and women and combinations of the above categories.
Prizes were always awarded for category.
It seems somebody has has forgotten how to do that.
Which is odd, since due to numbers of competitors very many sports events open to girls and women would not take place if they didn’t compete alongside boys and men.
Just add another category and award prizes according to category.