PostNL Picnic in the Storm: Kemna "shocked" by accusations of a culture of fear

The atmosphere surrounding the PostNL Picnic is growing increasingly tense. Head coach Rudi Kemna reacted with evident emotion to the accusations leveled at the Dutch WorldTour team, accusing it of fostering a toxic culture within the team. While declaring himself "stunned" by the investigation, Kemna reiterated that the team must listen and engage in dialogue.

The coach is mentioned several times in the lengthy investigation conducted by NOS Sport and In De Waaier , published Thursday, which collected testimonies from 71 current and former team members. One of them went so far as to describe the situation as "a dictatorship." Intercepted by WielerFlits at the Eneco Tour, Kemna struggled to process what had emerged.

"The only reaction I can give is that I'm deeply upset. I feel for all the people we've apparently traumatized; I don't even know what words are being used. I'm shocked, but it affects me too," he explained. "It also hurts me that the team is being portrayed this way, and personally, Iwan [Spekenbrink, team owner] and I do too. We're trying to run the team as best we can, especially when it comes to safety."

THE REPLY:

Kemna then added: "I come from a culture—you know what cycling used to be like—and that's exactly what we don't want: forcing someone to do something they don't want to do to improve performance. We lead a team in elite sport openly and honestly. And that's the accusation we get... I'm devastated."

The Tusveld Case

Kemna's name appears in the testimony of former rider Martijn Tusveld , who recounted how his position in the peloton changed after, at Kemna's request, he openly criticized the team's tactics at the 2020 Giro d'Italia.

"I became anxious. I thought: I'll keep quiet and always say yes. And that's what I did for all the years that followed with this team," he told NOS . Tusveld said he wrote directly to Kemna last year to explain that he no longer had the courage to speak up and was no longer the same person he once was. The former runner also spoke of depressive symptoms in 2021: "I even thought about harming myself."

THE REPORT:

Kemna remembers the story differently. "I have an email from Martijn Tusveld. I replied and invited him, but then everything went silent. Until today. I feel sorry for him, because I really have the feeling that Martijn is a good guy; that's how I know him. But I'm having a hard time understanding it, because Martijn has worked with our team for several years and has also clearly indicated that he wants to stay."

"If this is what we perceive, we must listen."

Adriaan Helmantel, Tom Dumoulin 's former coach, also spoke in the report. According to him, after the 2017 Giro d'Italia triumph, the management attempted to increase control due to a certain "paranoia": "It's become a dictatorship."

When asked if she recognized herself in the mostly anonymous stories, Kemna distanced herself, but acknowledged the need to intervene. "Yes, I know those stories, I also know the examples. I also know the areas they touch upon. But we're not on the side of a culture of fear or dictatorship; I struggle even to pronounce those words. I don't recognize myself in that description at all."

And again: "If this hits us and we don't have bad intentions, but it's perceived that way, we can't just turn away. We're deeply surprised that it could happen. We'll have to figure out exactly what it is, but if that's the case, we can't do nothing."

The team reportedly did not respond in person to requests for comment from NOS and In De Waaier , but released a statement within hours. The team confirmed that it will commission an independent investigation into its internal culture, which will "take the findings seriously and implement any necessary improvements."

Kemna demands clarity: "I want answers, and I've said I don't want to be here defending everything. I've already said it affects me. The most important thing is that I find it terrible that people have experienced this. I'm very sorry, and I must add that we didn't notice it, we didn't see it. We almost struggle to believe it. But it's there, otherwise they wouldn't say so."

The coach also emphasized the other side of the coin: "On the other hand, we also see many people in our team who are really doing well. We've been working together for 18 years, we have many different people and very different ways of reacting. If that's what's perceived, we need to listen. I'd like to open a dialogue."

THE FEDERATION'S POSITION:

The Dutch Cycling Federation (KNWU) also issued a statement, supporting the need for an internal investigation. "The findings from the investigation into the Picnic-PostNL team are deeply concerning. The experiences described by riders and staff members are disturbing and must be taken seriously," said Wouter Bos , chairman of the KNWU supervisory board.

Bos added: "Picnic-PostNL needs a thorough investigation into how this situation could have arisen and what steps are needed to prevent it from happening again. As KNWU, we support cycling where everyone can engage in sports and work freely, enjoyably, and safely. We encourage everyone to report any transgressive behavior, abuse of power, or unsafe situations to the dedicated hotline. Based on these reports, the KNWU will evaluate whether and what further steps are needed."