#MeToo

Fifteen. That’s the number of women who have come forward to speak out loud about their experiences with abuse, sexism and discrimination within professional cycling in the last 12 months. They have given their accounts, some of which contain graphic details of sexual assault and harassment, through formal complaint channels and media. We’ve learned about team managers, directors and coaches using appalling behaviour toward female athletes - allegations of repeated requests for nude images, verbal aggression, sexual assault, inappropriate relationships, and at times, physical violence. Along with the dozens of other women who have spoken out about abuse in previous years, these women have felt empowered to tell their stories. The ongoing wave of public testimony has shaken the cycling world to its core and forced us all to take a closer look at how we got to this point and what we can do to make the sport safer for everyone.

#The Ethics Commission

The majority of the formal complaints made by riders in the last year have been filed with the Ethics Commission of the International Cycling Union (UCI) and centre around the Code of Ethics: Appendix 1, which covers physical