No Picnic: inquiry reveals Dutch cycling team’s toxic culture

The Dutch cycling team Picnic-PostNL has been silently struggling with an oppressive atmosphere and culture of intimidation, according to an investigation published by broadcaster NOS and cycling platform In De Waaier.

Many of the team’s former members have been left traumatised and described a “culture of fear” and “unsafe working conditions”.

Reporters confidentially spoke with 71 current and former employees of the team, which competes in the World Tour, the sport’s top division. It currently employs around 120 people. Many people described how management would punish criticism and ignore mental health complaints.

One interviewee described the management structure as a “dictatorship” and another said team members were treated as “puppets”.

This began after the team’s successes in the Tour de France in 2013 and 2014, when German rider Marcel Kittel won stages as a sprinter. After that, the managers became paranoid about losing control of the team, one person told NOS.

More rules were established and people were told “everyone is replaceable.”

After Dutch racer Tom Dumoulin won the 2017 Giro d’Italia, one of cycling’s three Grand Tours, the managers became even more “radicalised”, according to another interviewee.

Dutch rider Martijn Tusveld described how he was dropped from major races for questioning the team’s tactics. He became so anxious he considered harming himself. He left the team and said he is still mentally unwell.

Another, who was suffering mentally, said he was told by sports director Rudi Kemna “I don’t believe in psychologists” after he asked for help.

The Dutch professional cyclists’ association VVBW told NOS it had heard similar accounts over the past 18 months, with some riders calling in tears.

NOS has asked the team owner Iwan Spekenbrink for a comment but he has so far refused to reply to any allegations in person or in writing.