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news
Sir Dave Brailsford gives evidence to the Culture, Media and Spot Select Committee (Parliamentlive.tv).jpgFormer British Cycling coach accuses Sir Dave Brailsford of "lies, bullying and harassment"
A former coach at British Cycling has said accused Sir Dave Brailsford of being responsible for a climate of “bullying” and “harassment” at British Cycling, where the Team Sky principal worked until 2014.
Ken Matheson made the claims in a series of messages on Twitter last night in which he said he had given evidence to the UK Sport independent review (IR) into the culture at the governing body.
That review was ordered after allegations of bullying and discrimination were levelled against former Great Britain Cycling Team technical director Shane Sutton by riders including track sprinter Jess Varnish and former Paralympic champion, Darren Kenny.
> British Cycling funding could be withdrawn due to governance issues
Matheson, a former women’s elite coach and head of the para-cycling programme at British Cycling who worked alongside former performance director Peter Keen, left the organisation in 2003 but has continued to work within the sport.
Aged 72 and now semi-retired, his clients include Hugh Carthy, the 22-year-old British rider who has signed for Cannondale-Drapac for 2017. Matheson coached the team's sports director, Charly Wegelius, early in his riding career.
Referring to a non-disclosure clause in his former contract with British Cycling, Matheson said last night in a reply to a tweet from South Africa-based sports scientist Ross Tucker: “Well I'm talking now – and sod the gagging clause!”
He confirmed that he had testified to the independent review, in a message that referred to Brailsford, who joined British Cycling in 1997 and was promoted from programmes director to performance director in 2003, by his initials.
Matheson said he had given a “Long statement going back 18yrs re. DB's lies, bullying, harassment, wrongful dismissal of staff, financial misconduct etc to UK Sport Independent Review.”
He added that British Cycling CEOs (without saying which specifically) were “well aware of DB's behaviour but failed to deal with it.”
Nick Harris of the website Sporting Intelligence said to Matheson: “Be fascinated to know more; know of multiple contributors to IR saying similar. Intrigued if report will reflect it.
Matheson replied: “My thoughts too. In isolation we're weak; come together and the truth should out. I'm tired of cover ups.”
The UK Sport independent review had been due to report in October, but is now thought likely to report early in the New Year with Harris saying he had been told that it “went longer than expected as more submissions than expected.”
Matheson’s comments come in a week which began with Brailsford being grilled by MPs over issues including the use of therapeutic use exemptions and the contents of a medicinal package delivered to the team at the 2011 Criterium du Dauphine.
Brailsford’s appearance before the House of Commons Culture, Media & Sport Select Committee formed part of its wider investigation into doping in sport.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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13 comments
Of course, I wasn't there and don't know what happened but one thing I have learned over fifty years of gainful employment is that I've never met a purposeful, effective leader who wasn't considered by some to be a bully. Often, it seemed to me, the folk who held that opinion were the weak links in the organisation.
Obviously trying to get compensation - like Varnish.
Don't the Brit's just love schadenfreude. The more someone achieves the more they love to bring them down.
No pain no gain. They were not going to achieve the results they have by hosting all inclusive kumbaya communes. Just saying.
I'd guess if you look at any successful cut and thrust business and you'll find people that claim to have been harassed, hell even my meagre, easy-as-fuck civil service job, people cry and moan about harassement because their boss caught them fiddling the clock and then they have the balls to go the union and HR and say they're being harassed.
The results do speak for themselves though and if the cost of all this cycling success is a few people in the background sulking then so be it.
As for any drugs? Not sure we're talking blatant drug use, they seem too clever for that. There's a line and Team Sky know exactly what defines it.
Why bother taking banned substances when you can just have the team medics arrange a TUE to make it all look above board and "within the rules"? If it hadn't been for the Fancy Bears hack, we would have been none the wiser as regards the highly dubious cirucumstances for the Sky/Wiggins TUE.
I for one sure as hell don't think Wiggins would have been nearly as keen on triamcinolone injections had he known the TUE would become public knowledge. The case for triamcinolone being a legitimate therapeutic need for Wiggins is extremely flimsy at best.
The "drugs" are not the issue; it is all the other stuff re sexism; bullying and general mistreatment of people that will bring them down. BC's handling of these issues has been inept at best.
Lol, considering your regular spouts I'll not take your latest one to seriously.
So if he's relating general gossip and hearsay from others that will really stand up won't it. You who constantly spout law and how the police make mistakes should really know that.
Yes you do get opinions, like mine of you is someone who likes the sound of his own voice and can't string a sentence together without using foul language but it doesn't mean they are right and after all its opinion not fact.
When someone comes back with facts rather than opinions gossip and hearsay then I might actually give a toss.
It's falling...
House-of-cards.jpg
The smoke around Sutton and Brailsford at this point is getting ridiculous. There's been explanations for missing homework in school classrooms more believable than the yarn being spun around this "package". When the former chief cheerleader for Sky and co-architect of Lance's downfall, David Walsh of the Sunday Times, is publically accusing Sutton and Brailsford of a coverup, you have to stop and wonder.
Was this reported in the DM? From all the previous comments by readers on this site I had understood that DB's reputation as an honest professional was scurrilously being sullied by poor journalism. This is evidently further proof of this. Must be....
So he only worked with DB for a few years but can give a statement covering 18yrs ?
Sounds like a load of shite.
Gloves - off.