'The fear is still there' - Two more former Picnic PostNL riders speak out as allegations mount

Two former Picnic PostNL riders have spoken out about their experiences within the Dutch team's women's programme, adding their voices to the growing scrutiny surrounding the organisation's working environment. Esmée Peperkamp has accused the team of medical negligence and described the lasting psychological impact of her time with the organisation.

Peperkamp, who raced for the team between 2021 and 2025, had previously contributed anonymously to the NOS investigation that brought the allegations to light. On Thursday, she decided to reveal her identity.

"I was afraid of the reactions," the 29-year-old told NOS. "The burden I'm carrying is something I want to get rid of."

Her account raises serious questions about medical care within the team. Peperkamp says she developed relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S) during her time with the organisation and has not menstruated since 2021.

She claims the team's annual medical checks failed to identify her hormonal problems, while persistent digestive issues were repeatedly dismissed.

"I became very ill. So nauseous that I couldn't eat anymore. I was vomiting too," she said, describing her reaction to the team's prescribed sports nutrition.

Despite reporting those problems, Peperkamp says she was told to get used to the products.

She also recalled being removed from the team's performance programme after management deemed her mentally unable to cope. According to Peperkamp, she spent six weeks without proper support before being allowed to see a psychologist, who subsequently concluded that she was mentally capable of competing.

"The doubt and the fear are still deeply rooted," she said.

Peperkamp's testimony follows an Instagram statement from former Liv-Plantur and Sunweb rider Molly Weaver, who represented the organisation between 2015 and 2017.

Weaver said the recent revelations echoed experiences she had previously described in essays published in 2020.

"It wasn't all of us and it wasn't all the time, but just because you weren't the victim of something it doesn't mean that everyone else is lying," she wrote.

"It most likely means that you were just really lucky."

Her comments came after former and current riders, including Warren Barguil and John Degenkolb, publicly defended the organisation based on their own experiences.

Weaver suggested that speaking openly about the treatment she received had effectively ended her prospects of working in professional women's cycling.

"I pretty much signed away any chance of working in the women's peloton again," she wrote.

She nevertheless stressed that not everyone within the organisation had contributed to the alleged problems, acknowledging positive memories and supportive colleagues.

"Destroyed careers, and damaged minds and bodies are more than just a headline or a debate in the comments of a post on social media," she added.

The controversy began on 15 October, when NOS and cycling podcast In De Waaierpublished an investigation based on testimony from 71 current and former riders and staff members.

Picnic PostNL has disputed the overall portrayal of its working environment, while acknowledging the seriousness of the individual accounts.

Responding to Peperkamp's allegations, the team told NOS it regretted that a rider had experienced the circumstances described, but said it could not comment on individual cases, citing privacy concerns. It also referred to the independent investigation into the matter.

The team has since appointed sports law professor Marjan Olfers to lead an independent investigation through research organisation Verinorm.

For Peperkamp, however, the central issue remains how the team treated its riders.

"What I blame my former team for most is that they don't listen to you, and decisions are made for you that ultimately aren't good for you."