Alleged separation between riders and coaches at Picnic-PostNL

◆1 source

Research by NOS Sport and the cycling platform In De Waaier reported that the relationship between riders and coaches at Picnic-PostNL was highly hierarchical and contributed to a culture of anxiety. Several people said the team management had created a top-down structure in which riders were expected mainly to follow instructions. Former trainer Adriaan Helmandel attributed this approach to team manager Iwan Spekenbrink, who allegedly told him that the rider should only pedal after receiving information from the coach. A former staff member said that criticism was treated as an attack on the team’s philosophy, while former rider Martijn Tusveld was afraid to speak after criticizing tactics and later experienced depressive complaints.

Coaches Louis Delahaye and Jeroen Otter said that the growing focus on data had caused the human side of athletes to be overlooked. They argued that measurements needed to be interpreted in context and that open communication and trust between riders and staff were essential. Delahaye said coaches should help athletes make independent decisions, while Otter described the cooperation between athlete, coach and staff as the basis for performance.

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Reports of an unsafe culture at cycling team Picnic-PostNL

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An investigation by NOS Sport and In De Waaier, based on confidential conversations with 71 current and former people involved with Picnic-PostNL, reported allegations of a long-running culture of fear and an unsafe working environment at the Dutch WorldTour cycling team. Former riders and staff described rigid, top-down management, limited scope for feedback and personal support, and said some people had left traumatised. Former rider Martijn Tusveld said he developed mental-health problems after a 2020 disagreement over race tactics and later considered harming himself. The Association of Professional Cyclists said it had received several similar signals, while Centrum Veilige Sport Nederland has also received reports, according to one report. Picnic-PostNL said it was affected by the accounts but did not recognise itself in the overall picture. It said it has channels for raising concerns, including personal coaches, a riders’ committee and confidential advisers, and announced an independent professional investigation into how its culture is experienced and whether it matches the culture it seeks to maintain. The team said it will take the findings seriously and make improvements where needed. Team management and riders said the allegations had affected them.

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Nicolas Roche criticized Picnic-PostNL’s management

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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.

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Former Picnic-PostNL riders react to reported fear culture

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Former Picnic-PostNL riders Marcel Kittel, Tom Veelers and Kirsten Wild said they recognized parts of an article describing a culture of fear at their former team, although their experiences differed. Kittel said he had expected more support as a young rider and left in 2015 disappointed. Veelers said he had felt safe but noticed that riders’ input was not always acted on when he was a team leader. Wild said she had often felt unheard, including over her trainer, track-racing ambitions and team sprint roles, and left in 2014. The three former riders said people at the team should be listened to and that such conditions should not be treated as normal. They expressed hope that the team would change, while also noting its importance to Dutch cycling and saying it had been a stepping stone for many riders.

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Uncertainty over Picnic-PostNL’s future

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Picnic-PostNL’s future remained uncertain after the Dutch cycling team did not yet have a WorldTour license for the 2027 season. The UCI was due to publish on Monday which teams had applied for a license, with decisions expected on 16 November and a final decision, if needed, on 8 December. The sponsors were awaiting the outcome of an independent investigation into the team’s working culture after reports described an alleged culture of fear; no timetable for the investigation’s results was known. The team also faced reported financial and sporting difficulties. Its parent company had recorded losses of about €19.5 million between 2022 and 2024, while the team won three races in total in 2026 and stood 30th in the UCI rankings. If it did not obtain a WorldTour license, its prospects of receiving a wildcard for races such as the Tour de France would depend in part on its ranking and other conditions.