Patrick van Gansen suspended by UCI following abuse case
The UCI Disciplinary Commission has suspended Patrick Van Gansen, former team manager and director for the Health Mate-Cyclelive team, from working in cycling for two years and seven months, retroactively starting on April 16, 2020.
The UCI Ethics Commission began investigating Van Gansen’s actions in 2019 following allegations of abuse and harassment, including allegations of sexual remarks, verbal aggression, body shaming and mental abuse. Due to the number of accusations over multiple years, the UCI hired Sport Resolutions, an external agency, to investigate the accusations.
The UCI Ethics Commission found Van Gansen guilty of violating the Code of Ethics in 2020 and handed the case to the UCI Disciplinary Commission to determine Van Gansen’s punishment.
The first reports of accusations filed against Van Gansen were in June of 2019. Initially, three separate reports were filed, two by riders and one by the parent of a rider, stating that Van Gansen had violated the Code of Ethics. After these reports became public, six more riders came forward with similar stories.
At least 10 riders reported an unhealthy working environment under Van Gansen, most of whom remained anonymous.
Van Gansen’s suspension will run until December 31, 2022. He has said that he no longer wishes to work in women’s cycling, but if he does wish to work in cycling again when his suspension is up, he will need to take a class about workplace sexual harassment.
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