Jess Varnish 'relieved' that British Cycling uphold her claims against Shane Sutton
Jess Varnish hopes that British Cycling's investigation will pave the way for a better environment for its athletes.


The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Thank you for signing up to The Pick. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Jess Varnish has expressed her relief in the news that British Cycling upheld her claims that Shane Sutton used "inappropriate and discriminatory language" towards her.
The national governing body released its findings from an internal investigation on Friday (October 28), six months after former Great Britain track sprinter Varnish alleged that Sutton told her "to go and have a baby" and said that she had a "fat arse". Sutton was suspended by British Cycling pending the investigation and subsequently resigned.
The in-house investigation is to be followed by an independent review, jointly commissioned by BC and UK Sport, that will review the culture within the organisation.
"I spoke out because I wanted to shine a light on the culture at British Cycling, a culture that in my mind was incorrect," Varnish, writing on her personal website, said.
"I’m relieved that the British Cycling board have acknowledged that the language used towards me was inappropriate and discriminatory and I would like to thank those involved and those that contributed to the investigation for their time and effort.
"I’ve always believed in standing up for yourself, especially when you know things are wrong. It wasn’t easy for me to talk about this experience and I could’ve quite easily said and done nothing, but that isn’t me.
"I’ve always given 100 per cent to my sport, and am still in love with cycling, so I hope that British Cycling can use this investigation as a way to improve and create a better environment for the Great Britain team."
The findings mean that Sutton is now highly unlikely to be re-employed by BC, and his wife, Abbie, took to Twitter on Friday evening to condemn the report and alleged that Varnish was a "liar". She has since deleted the post.
The independent review is expected to report back before the end of this year.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Chris first started writing for Cycling Weekly in 2013 on work experience and has since become a regular name in the magazine and on the website. Reporting from races, long interviews with riders from the peloton and riding features drive his love of writing about all things two wheels.
Probably a bit too obsessed with mountains, he was previously found playing and guiding in the Canadian Rockies, and now mostly lives in the Val d’Aran in the Spanish Pyrenees where he’s a ski instructor in the winter and cycling guide in the summer. He almost certainly holds the record for the most number of interviews conducted from snowy mountains.
-
-
Why am I so tired? New AI tool promises to answer this and more from your wrist - tech round up
From a coach on your wrist to no-sealant in your tires: tech news that piqued our interest this week
By Luke Friend Published
-
'The hardest ride': Matt Downie beats Mark Beaumont's NC500 record by an hour
26-year-old completes 516 mile course in 27 hours 30 minutes dead to set new best time
By Adam Becket Published
-
British Cycling sets up task force to revive domestic racing scene
Governing body CEO promises "immediate progress" for struggling scene
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Why we will likely never know which rider Richard Freeman ordered doping products for
With no evidence and limited investigative powers, it seems unlikely any riders will ever be exposed
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Former British Cycling doctor Richard Freeman given four-year doping ban
Freeman chose not to defend himself before the anti-doping panel
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Changing of the guard: Meet the Great Britain track cycling coaches chasing gold medals
British Cycling replaced all four track head coaches last year. Here's how they're masterminding a path to Olympic titles
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Horror crash puts Great Britain men's team pursuit squad out of Worlds in qualifying
Charlie Tanfield's injuries meant he was unable to re-start the qualifying run
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Jumbo-Visma signs three young Brits for its development squad
Jed Smithson, Tomos Pattinson and Matthew Brennan have signed contracts with the Dutch team
By Tom Davidson Published
-
GB track sprint coach Kaarle McCulloch to step down, just 15 months after joining
British Cycling begins search for Australian's successor ahead of 2024 Paris Olympics
By Tom Davidson Published
-
British Cycling to cut back under-23 squad road programme, targets two events
National federation cites ‘incredibly challenging financial landscape’
By Tom Davidson Published