Former head of British Cycling's research and development welcomes official inquiry
Boardman's new role is head of Boardman Bikes (Image credit: Boardman Bikes)
Chris Boardman, a former head of R&D at British Cycling, has welcomed the news of an inquiry into the federation but added that a ‘trial by press’ has been a disappointment.
British Cycling finds itself in turmoil after a week of allegations surrounding a ‘culture of fear’, and several incidents of discrimination. Shane Sutton resigned from his role as Performance Director after several athletes levelled accusations against him but Boardman, who worked in conjunction with Sutton for several years until 2012, stated that the media coverage had led to both negative and positive outcomes.
“I think the press have played their part in bringing a topic to the table. I was involved with Shane and everyone knew that he was a straight talker, no nonsense and that he could read a rider," he told Cyclingnews.
“I’ve been disappointed to see trial by press over the last week, which whatever you think of an individual, I don’t think that’s fair but now you have an inquiry underway so I’d say let it do its job and lets see what happens. It’s an interesting position for British Cycling going forward and I think that’s good for every business to review and take opportunities when they’re brought to you. No matter how they are brought to you.”
Symington is a former professional cyclist who represented Great Britain at the Olympic Games in 2000 and 2004. She currently works as the Performance Director of England Netball.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
