Doris Schweizer, former two-time Swiss road champion, has come forward with details concerning her experiences while racing for Cervelo-Bigla under the team`s owner Thomas Campana. Campana was accused of abusing his power as the head of the team in 2015 by bullying, fat shaming, intimidating riders and ignoring medical concerns. `I did not want to comment further, but due to extreme reactions, I would like to share some personal thoughts,` Schweizer wrote in her blog on Monday. `It is probably understandable that as a person affected, I cannot understand how such behaviour can be considered `normal´ or `necessary´ to demand top performance.ADVERTISEMENT `Even four months later, the Swiss main sponsor Bigla did not take the opportunity to catch up or to ask questions - but in my opinion, that alone also draws a clear picture.` In an article published by the Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant last November, former Cervelo-Bigla riders Iris Slappendel, Carmen Small, Vera Koedooder and Schweizer revealed their concerns while at the Cervelo-Bigla team where athletes would avoid Campana`s anger. Their allegations of abuse took place predominantly during the 2015 season. Campana denied all the allegations. Schweizer`s case revolved primarily around ignored medical concerns after she had crashed during the Giro Rosa that year and suffered from a suspected concussion with symptoms that included blurred vision and sweating. Schweizer said that Campana told her it was `because of the heat,` and she felt obliged to start and finish the following stage. She was only permitted to leave the race after a phone call from the team doctor, who expressed the seriousness of her concussion symptoms. Schweizer says she suffered from those injuries for two years, and still sometimes feels the after-affects of the head injury.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
|