Former Picnic-PostNL riders react to reported fear culture

◆1 source

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.

More on this story

Sports

Reports of an unsafe culture at cycling team Picnic-PostNL

13 sources

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.

Sports

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.

Sports

Lavreysen wins team sprint and keirin titles at Track Cycling World Championships

12 sources

Harrie Lavreysen, Jeffrey Hoogland and Roy van den Berg defended the Netherlands’ men’s team sprint title in Shanghai, beating Australia in the final after setting the fastest times in qualifying and the preceding round. It was Lavreysen’s 21st track world title. A day later, Lavreysen retained his keirin title, winning the discipline for a fifth time and taking his total to 22 world titles. Hoogland was eliminated in the keirin quarter-finals. Matthew Richardson, described as Lavreysen’s main rival, did not compete after being removed from the British squad. The British cycling association gave no reason; reports citing British media said an investigation concerned allegations of discriminatory messages and behaviour. In the women’s events, the Dutch team sprint trio of Kimberly Kalee, Hetty van de Wouw and Steffie van der Peet did not reach the final, and Van de Wouw lost her individual sprint title to Emma Finucane in the quarter-finals.

Sports

Marianne Vos wins Gravel World Championships

9 sources

Marianne Vos won the Gravel World Championships in Nannup, Australia, claiming her second world title in the discipline and her 15th cycling world title overall. The 39-year-old Dutch rider finished solo after 126 kilometres, largely on unpaved roads. Vos had been riding with Germany's Rosa Klöser late in the race, but Klöser crashed a few kilometres from the finish. Vos said the course was muddier than expected and described the title as special after a difficult year.