Former British Cycling employee alleges toxic culture — The Guardian

In the United Kingdom, British Cycling has faced a new wave of criticism following claims by former employee Jack Lindsay of a “toxic culture” within the leadership team. As The Guardian reports, Lindsay, who worked as the organisation’s commercial manager in 2024–2025, criticised the response to his formal complaint about workplace bullying.

Claims by the former employee

According to Lindsay, his complaint covered dozens of incidents over six months and concerned several categories of alleged bullying. He said that most episodes were partially substantiated, but that he received no apology and was not informed about measures concerning the person he considered responsible.

The former manager also claims that he repeatedly informed members of senior management about bullying by a member of the executive team. According to him, management decided to handle these reports informally. Lindsay said that after he left his position, British Cycling’s then chief executive, Jon Dutton, told him of plans to commission an independent review of management culture within the GB Cycling Team.

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Survey and the organisation’s response

According to a survey reported by The Times this week, 31% of athletes and staff answered yes when asked whether they had witnessed or experienced thoughtless, inappropriate or unacceptable behaviour. Among three words used to describe the programme’s culture, athletes most often named “purposeful”, while “toxic” was the second most common word, alongside “supportive”.

British Cycling said that employee wellbeing is central to the organisation’s work and that every complaint is considered under formal procedures, with action taken where necessary. A spokesperson added that British Cycling does not comment on individual cases and that details of any possible actions are confidential.

Lindsay also questioned oversight by UK Sport, which provided British Cycling with £30 million for preparations for the Los Angeles Olympics. UK Sport responded that its approach differs significantly from that of 2017: sports organisations receiving funding undergo annual culture assessments and develop plans to improve it.