Former Bora-Hansgrohe directeur sportif Jean-Pierre Heynderickx has reacted with surprise at the suggestion that riders from the German team may have bullied Cian Uijtdebroeks during the Vuelta a Espana, saying, "I hope from the bottom of my heart that it's not true."
Dutch journalist Thijs Zonneveld first raised the allegations earlier this week, saying that the Belgian was "treated like a kind of nerd" by Bora-Hansgrohe riders and staff, adding others on the team participated in an 'Anti-Cian' WhatsApp group at the Spanish Grand Tour.
The bullying claims have come amid a contract battle centred around Uijtdebroeks after Jumbo-Visma claimed to have signed the 20-year-old on a four-year contract while Bora-Hansgrohe maintain that he remains their rider through the end of 2024.
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Speaking to Het Laatste Nieuws, Heynderickx, now a former directeur sportif at the team who worked as a director at the Vuelta, said he was "completely surprised" by the bullying allegations.
"I fell off my chair when I heard that. I was completely surprised," Heynderickx said.
"I'm quite annoyed by this. If it's true, then it happened behind my back and I feel caught out. I would consider that extremely low.
"I wouldn't let it pass and would absolutely want to know who set up that WhatsApp group, which riders and staff were part of it and what was said and written. I hope from the bottom of my heart that it's not true."
Uijtdebroeks is currently at Jumbo-Visma's training camp in Denía, Spain, and was pictured on Tuesday heading off for a ride with his prospective new Visma-Lease a Bike teammates clad in a plain black kit and aboard a team-issue Cervelo bike.
A legal battle between Bora and Uijtdebroeks now looks likely, with the German team having demanded a €1 million buyout fee for Uijtdebroeks to break his contract and make the move this winter.
Further revelations were put forward by Zonneveld on Monday, with the Dutchman claiming that Uijtdebroeks was made fun of because he was fastidious about his diet, bike setup, and clothing.
"He was treated like a kind of nerd by other riders, but also by team leaders," Zonneveld said. "That was because he was very fanatical about certain things. He was weighing his diet, he didn't think his time trial bike was aerodynamic enough, he didn't think his clothing was good enough, so he bought different socks himself.
"He was like someone in high school who got an A because he studied well, only to be told, 'Oh, you got an A again?!"
Heynderickx said that such an attitude from riders should only be applauded, rather than made light of by teammates. He said that Uijtdebroeks, who finished eighth at the Vuelta a España, his Grand Tour debut, "leaves nothing to chance" in pursuit of racing excellence.
"Cian is Cian. A top talent who lives extremely and who is driven and passionate about his profession," he said. "He looks for all the 'marginal gains', all the extra percentages in the fields of training, nutrition, care. He leaves nothing to chance.
"In December, he already knows exactly what he'll do next season – when he'll go on training camps and so on. I don't think you can blame him for that attitude. On the contrary, he can only be encouraged in this.
"In a group of 30 people there is often laughter and banter with and about each other. But that doesn't give you the right to bully or finish someone off."
