Salzwedel out in BC shake-up

Further dismissals may follow that of star endurance coach Salzwedel

British Cycling performance director Stephen Park put his mark on the elite programme in emphatic style last week, dismissing multiple gold-medal winning men’s endurance coach Heiko Salzwedel as part of an ongoing restructuring within the organisation.

Salzwedel, who has been key to Team GB’S gold-medal winning performances, was said to be surprised by the decision to let him go.

His dismissal was part of an ongoing shake-up of the elite cycling programme’s staff and follows in the wake of BMX coach Grant White being made redundant earlier this year and physio Hanlie Fouche, who is leaving.

Some inside the organisation expect further changes and some staff are concerned that “everything is run like an office” since Park’s arrival and “cycling is not a normal business”. “The atmosphere is not great,” one told CW.

BC declined to comment on the reasons for the German coach’s dismissal and said he was “still on the payroll”. However, Salzwedel was not popular with some of the riders in the squad — road coach Rod Ellingworth coached Mark Cavendish to Olympic silver in the omnium in Rio, despite this being under Salzwedel’s purview. While those issues date

back nearly 18 months, the lack of a performance director or technical director — the role Shane Sutton formerly held — are understood to be a factor in why Salzwedel was only dismissed last week, just days before the team flew to Berlin for the European Track Championships.

The German also had little relationship with Park, with colleagues saying the pair rarely spoke and that Salzwedel felt marginalised. In addition, his record with bunch races, where the men’s squad has not been as successful as the women’s, winning a bronze and a silver in the last two Olympics, combined with the addition of the Madison to the Olympic programme in 2020 is understood to have been a factor.

It is the third time Salzwedel has left BC, having previously served as performance manager from 2001 to 2002, and 2008 to 2012.

It is likely that Salzwedel will line up against GB in future track meets as CW understands several international teams had been in touch with the German to make job offers within hours of his dismissal becoming public.

CW also understands that Ellingworth is unlikely to continue in his role as road coach next year, though this is understood to be driven by Ellingworth, who is expecting his third child, wanting to step back from the time commitment of elite international coaching rather than Park’s drive for change.

Further changes are afoot at the higher echelons of the organisation with former chief executive Peter King set to return to British Cycling in the role of director when the board is rejigged later this year.

Under the new system to be introduced in November, England, Scotland and Wales will all get a seat on the BC board. King, who has been critical of the direction of BC over the last year following a variety of controversies, is the only nominee for the England spot.

He said: “We need to work on the governance and the reputation. We need to be more transparent and communicate better across the whole organisation, which is very big with diverse interests, and get back to being one of the best respected governing bodies.

“It’s only a one-year appointment; if it works out and I feel I’m making a difference then I will have to ask to be nominated again.”