'A Dictatorship': Team Picnic-PostNL Rocked by Allegations of Culture of Fear

Team Picnic-PostNL has promised to launch an independent investigation into shocking revelations unearthed by broadcaster NOS and the podcast In De Waaier.

The joint investigation by the two Dutch outlets exposed an atmosphere of fear, excessive control, and distrust that dates back more than a decade.

The project involved confidential interviews with 71 current and former Picnic-PostNL cycling team employees, and went live this week.

According to NOS, “many have terminated their employment traumatized. They speak of a ‘culture of fear’ and an ‘unsafe work situation.'”

The partnering men’s and women’s teams have seen superstar riders like Tom Dumoulin, Lorena Wiebes, and Romain Bardet on their books.

The embattled Picnic-PostNL team – which is currently dead last in both the men’s and women’s WorldTour rankings – rushed out a response Thursday.

The team said its offers to cooperate with the investigation by NOS and In De Waaier were ignored, and it promised “to commission an independent, professional investigation” into the allegations.

Here’s the key extract of the team statement:

“In a performance-driven environment such as professional sport, things can go wrong. That is why there are several ways for people within our team to raise problems and concerns. Riders have a personal coach, there is a Rider Committee, and staff members can turn to confidential advisers. If people have felt unsafe within our organization or have felt they lacked sufficient opportunity to raise concerns, we want to understand how that could have happened.

“We are proud of what we have built since 2008 together with the many people who are, or have been, part of and associated with this team. Precisely for that reason, we believe it is important to take a critical look at ourselves.

“We will therefore commission an independent, professional investigation into our team culture. We will take its findings seriously and implement any improvements that may be needed, out of respect for everyone who is, or has been, part of Team Picnic PostNL.”

Picnic-PostNL responds: ‘We do not recognize ourselves in the publications’

Picnic-PostNL, formerly known as Team Giant, Sunweb, and DSM, has been stalked by rumors of a controlling, authoritarian culture for years.

Riders have broken contracts amid reports of burnout. Tales have emerged of riders being punished for adjusting their saddle height without authorization, and being forbidden from eating a kiwi.

One anonymous athlete once branded life at the team as a “Soviet regime.”

The long-read investigation published by NOS on Thursday is the most damning indictment of the team yet.

It detailed management taking constructive feedback as an attack on the team’s philosophy. Interviewees described a demeaning attitude toward riders and an unwillingness to flex plans to meet personal needs.

“It became a dictatorship,” said former coach Adriaan Helmantel, who worked with Giro d’Italia winner Dumoulin, amongst others.

In its statement Thursday, Picnic-PostNL outlined its values of safety, collaboration, and fairness, and rejected the claims made in NOS and In De Waaier.

“We do not recognize ourselves in the overall picture presented in the publications,” reads the note.

“The fact that experiences differ does not diminish the seriousness of the accounts that have now come to light. We will therefore commission an independent investigation into how our team culture is experienced in practice and to what extent it reflects the culture we strive for.”