Cycling Vlaanderen’s last tweet yesterday is telling: “#DreamTeam loses #Kopman”. CEO and staff are more than satisfied with the collaboration over the past 6 years, since Glorieux started his assignment at the end of 2016.
He created a modern wind with more attention to youth and women’s cycling, better infrastructure and more safety. Cycling Vlaanderen improved in terms of number of members and clubs. Yet it came to a rift.
An open letter from the staff, addressed to the members of the board of directors and the general meeting of Cycling Vlaanderen, puts the finger on the wound.
“Frank’s departure means a great loss for the federation. A departure that should not have happened, that should not have happened. A departure that Frank did not want himself, but which is the result of a board that is not with his time, which is no longer of this time.”
(read on under tweet)
All staff members signed the letter. They demand “good governance”. “What Frank – despite that board – has achieved in six years is unprecedented,” it reads. “He was the driving force behind a team that, together with the many athletes, clubs and volunteers, transformed Wielerbond Vlaanderen into a modern, young, hip and successful Cycling Vlaanderen of today.
“The list of innovations and achievements that have come under Frank’s policy is long.”
“At the same time as changes in the field, Frank also strived for a new organization of the federation itself. He campaigned for “good governance”. The pressure and resistance he encountered in doing so eventually became too great for Frank to keep it healthy. decision to keep the credit to themselves we can understand, but feels unjust.”
The staff themselves draw these lessons: “More than ever, the federation needs a good, independent board, with a real sports mentality, in which cooperation and wanting to do better together are paramount.”
The staff team, which calls itself “youthful and enthusiastic”, asks itself some pertinent questions about that board: “Isn’t it time to include more women on the board? Isn’t it time to give more young people the opportunity to participate in decision-making? “Isn’t it time for more ethnic diversity within the board?”
The letter suggests limiting directorships in time and eliminating conflicts of interest.
“It is high time to let Cycling Vlaanderen also take a step forward at board level. Frank was ready. We as Cycling Vlaanderen staff are ready. Who is working towards a new and better board?”
(scroll down for more)
Journalist and columnist Hans Vandeweghe, a regular guest in the podcast De Tribune, shared the open letter. You can read it in full below.
Not only Frank Glorieux resigns, also 3 external directors have had enough. Sophie Cooreman, Philip Depondt and Luc Rooms announce that they are resigning.
They also do this out of frustration with the state of affairs in the boardrooms of our cycling. In a letter, the trio says that it made attempts to turn the tide last year.
“We complained about a number of abuses and made proposals to improve the situation. We received a lot of criticism,” it sounds.
“Unfortunately, we have not been able to bring about a change of culture and mentality within the governing body. Because we cannot take up our responsibility in this way, we resign. A signal that there is a need for a fundamental change at the administrative level at Cycling Vlaanderen. “
“The only solution in our opinion is to install a completely new board, composed in an independent and professional way. Otherwise the future doesn’t look very good.”
“And that is very unfortunate, given that a lot of ingredients for the growth of Cycling Vlaanderen are certainly present: cycling is flourishing like never before, but the potential cannot be fully exploited.”
