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Allegations of a fear culture at Picnic-PostNL

◆4 sources

An investigation based on confidential conversations with 71 current and former riders and staff alleged that the Dutch WorldTour cycling team Picnic-PostNL had fostered a years-long culture of fear and an unsafe working environment. Former employees described strict top-down management, limited scope for individual approaches or feedback, and mental-health consequences; some said they had left the team traumatised. The Association of Professional Cyclists said it had received several similar reports in the previous year and a half.

Former rider Martijn Tusveld said that, after voicing doubts about tactics during the 2020 Giro d'Italia, he became afraid to give feedback and later suffered depressive symptoms, including thoughts of self-harm. The team and its management were given an opportunity to respond to the findings, but team head Iwan Spekenbrink declined to comment, either in writing or on camera.

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Nicolas Roche criticized Picnic-PostNL’s management

1 source

Nicolas Roche said his time with what was then Team Sunweb, now Picnic-PostNL, became increasingly difficult in 2020 and 2021. The former Irish professional cyclist said management relied too heavily on strict protocols and planned races in excessive detail, leaving little room for riders to adapt. He described repeated conflicts after expressing opinions, including an incident at a January 2021 training camp when staff reprimanded him for extending a training session. Roche also said the team discouraged close personal relationships between riders and staff, which he believed increased mental pressure and could contribute to burnout and other mental-health problems. Roche said the team ultimately pushed him out because he had too much influence over younger riders and encouraged them not to follow the protocol. He said his experience and directness had become problems for management, while also expressing gratitude that the team was among the few to continue paying riders during the coronavirus pandemic.