Picnic PostNL have vowed to commission an independent investigation into team culture after reports in the Dutch media over a “culture of fear” at the WorldTour and Women’s WorldTour squad.
On Thursday morning, NOS Sport and In De Waaier published their investigations into Picnic PostNL, with the latter being a four-part podcast series, after interviews with 71 current and former employees. They documented allegations of a toxic culture at the team, which amounted to an “unsafe working situation”. In response, they said “we do not recognise ourselves” in the stories.
Picnic PostNL is run by sports director Rudi Kemna and owner Iwan Spekenbrink. This year, the men’s team has won just three times, including one at WorldTour level, while the women’s team is yet to register a victory.
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Among those interviewed by the Dutch outlets was former rider Martijn Tusveld, a squad member between 2018 and 2024, who said his position at the team changed after he criticised the team’s tactics at the 2020 Giro d’Italia, and later felt “powerless”.
“I became anxious,” he told NOS. “I thought, ‘I’ll keep my mouth shut and say yes and amen.’ And that’s what I did for the rest of the years with this team. I also thought about harming myself.”
Adriaan Helmantel, Tom Dumoulin‘s former coach, also spoke on the record, saying that the team “became a dictatorship”.
In a statement released later on Thursday, a Picnic PostNL spokesperson said: “We have taken note of the publications by NOS Sport and In de Waaier about Team Picnic PostNL. The accounts shared by current and former riders and staff members affect us. At the same time, we do not recognise ourselves in the overall picture presented in the publications.
“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.”
The statement listed three promises that make the foundation of the team: fair, healthy and responsible sport; safe collaboration based on shared values; and continuity and job security.
“In a performance-driven environment such as professional sport, things can go wrong,” the statement continued.
“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 organisation 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.”
