Investigation describes unsafe culture at Picnic-PostNL
Seventy former and current employees speak of fear, control and a lack of room for criticism within the cycling team.
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For years, a fearful and unsafe working culture is said to have prevailed at cycling team Picnic-PostNL. This emerges from conversations by NOS Sport and cycling platform In De Waaier with 71 current and former employees.
According to the investigation, riders and staff members say there was little room for criticism of management. They describe a strongly top-down team in which protocols and control became increasingly important. The researchers write that some employees left the team with mental health problems or a damaged sense of self-worth.
According to NOS, the team has around 120 employees. For several interviewees, it was unclear whether a confidential counsellor was available. Former employees also say they did not feel free to question management decisions.
One interviewee described how a critical remark about race tactics is said to have later affected his position within the team. The former rider involved discussed this in an email to a former sporting director. NOS has seen that email, but the experience described remains the account of the person concerned.
The Vereniging van Beroeps Wielrenners says it recognises several similar signals. Secretary Jeroen van Keulen told NOS Sport that over the past year and a half he had heard several accounts that corresponded with the findings. The association has not published a formal independent investigation into the team, but it does endorse the seriousness of the reports.
The criticism touches on a broader question in elite sport: how much control can a team exercise over riders and experts before performance comes at the expense of professional autonomy and wellbeing? A tightly organised way of working can support sporting objectives, but it also makes it harder to report misconduct when managers see criticism as disloyalty.
NOS Sport and In De Waaier put their findings to owner Iwan Spekenbrink. He was given the opportunity to respond in writing or on camera on 14 October, but according to NOS did not do so. As a result, the consulted publication contains no substantive response from the team.
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One story, several perspectives
What is established
- A journalistic investigation spoke to 71 current and former employees.
- Interviewees described fear, control and limited room for criticism.
- The professional cyclists’ association says it recognises similar signals.
- The team was given the opportunity to respond but, according to NOS, did not provide a substantive response.
Left
Arguments Elite sports organisations must protect employees and athletes from abuse of power, even when performance pressure is high. Independent confidential counsellors and participation in decision-making are essential.
Values Balanced power relations, workers’ rights and human dignity.
Consequences More oversight and formal reporting channels could improve the team culture, but would require time and money and could lengthen direct lines of decision-making.
Centre
Arguments A professional team needs clear responsibilities and performance requirements, but must combine them with a safe reporting structure and independent evaluation.
Values Carefulness, proportionality and institutional oversight.
Consequences An independent investigation can separate facts from opinions and provide room for recovery without designating someone guilty in advance.
Right
Arguments An elite sports team must be able to be led decisively and should not label every tough decision as unsafe behaviour. Sporting responsibility lies with the leadership.
Values Responsibility, discipline and performance standards.
Consequences Too many external rules can weaken competitiveness, but a closed culture can in turn damage talent and performance over the longer term.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The article distinguishes the investigation’s findings from the personal statements on which they are based. The team was given the opportunity to respond, but no substantive response was published.
- confirmed NOS Sport and In De Waaier spoke to 71 current and former employees. — This number appears in the NOS publication. source
- confirmed The team has around 120 employees. — NOS gives this staff figure. source
- confirmed The VVBW says it has received several similar signals. — The VVBW’s secretary is quoted on this by NOS Sport. source
- confirmed Iwan Spekenbrink did not respond substantively to the request for a right of reply. — NOS describes the request and the absence of a written or oral response. source
Editor's note
The numbers of interviews and employees, the response from the professional cyclists’ association and the absence of a right of reply have been confirmed by NOS Sport. The content of the reports consists of statements attributed to interviewees; the team did not respond substantively in the consulted publication.Sources
- Angstcultuur bij Nederlandse wielerploeg Picnic-PostNL — NOS Sport
- Nederlandse wielerploegen en renners ondertekenen cao-akkoord — Team Picnic PostNL
- Nederlandse wielerploegen en renners ondertekenen cao-akkoord — Team Visma | Lease a Bike
More on this in Dutch media
- de Volkskrant — „wielrennen picnic-postnl”
- RTL Nieuws — „wielrennen picnic-postnl”
- NOS — „wielrennen picnic-postnl”