Shane Sutton - Team Sky coach

[vedrafjord]

http://bmx.transworld.net/news/british-cycling-snubs-national-champion-tre-whyte-2/#2mpvcRZc1lGRKJBu.97

“British Cycling is run by the road-velodrome mentality, the guys calling the shots; Shane Sutton & Iain Dyer are not BMXers, nor do they have passion for our sport. It is evident the only thing British Cycling supports and cares about are Olympic medals, as they translate into additional future funding

 

[thehog]

So Sutton has now resigned.

How long before he joins team Sky?

 

[Cake]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/36153485

aaaaaand he's gone

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Another scalp for Simone de Beauvior

 

[pastronef]

So Sutton has now resigned.

How long before he joins team Sky?

eheh, it would be too nice eh?

"sexist coach joins the already evil Team Sky"

 

[thehog]

Sutton in the Times today (Team Sky Official Newspaper), more denials than Armstrong ; No idea what he was doing at Pendleton's house till 3am in the morning. Strange guy.

I never told Varnish to go have a baby, says suspended GB cycling chief Sutton British cycling chief Shane Sutton, who was suspended last night, tells Alyson Rudd about sexism allegations. Sutton denies all the charges that have been levelled at him.


Shane Sutton, who was suspended by British Cycling last night after fresh claims of discrimination, says that he is hurt and perplexed by the storm surrounding him. The row began when he was accused of sexism, of telling a cyclist “to move on and get on with having a baby”. Last night there were further allegations that he had called para-cyclists “gimps” and “wobblies”.

Darren Kenny, one of Britain’s most decorated para-cyclists told the Daily Mail: “The term used to refer to us was generally ‘gimps’ with another word in front of that. I don’t think we were considered to be elite athletes in all honesty by certain people.”

Sutton completely denies the allegations, but will be suspended while an internal investigation is carried out.

British Cycling’s technical director wants to put the record straight. He does it with bluntness. After a long, heartfelt conversation at the National Cycling Centre in Manchester yesterday, before the latest allegations that led to his suspension, he sighs and sums up what happened when Jess Varnish, whose contract with British Cycling was not renewed, vented her anger.

“Someone who wasn’t up to the job has left the programme and should embrace my comments,” he said. “Jess was not one of the greats. It’s sad she’s come out and said the things she said.”

Did he tell Varnish to have a baby?

“One hundred per cent no.”

Did he say something that could be misconstrued that way?

“No, there was never any talk of babies. I don’t know where that’s come from.”

Varnish also claimed that she was told her “ass” was too big.


“I have never used the terminology, ‘You’ve got a fat ars*.’ I’m just really upset she would say that,” Sutton says.

In fact, Sutton is very fond of Varnish. It always comes back to the statistics. He produces a spreadsheet of her results on the track. There are some relatively impressive timings at altitude that have to be discounted, otherwise the sheet shows a cyclist slowly losing ground since 2012.

“Jess is a wonderful girl, a beautiful person, I couldn’t ask for any more from her on the programme. Unfortunately everything comes to an end. And unfortunately her time on the programme is done,” he says. “She’s been a model professional, Jess worked hard. Decisions are not made lightly. We’ve made decisions a lot bigger. I’ve had to sit in that back office pre-London Olympics and tell Sir Chris [Hoy] that Jason Kenny is a quicker bike rider and will be riding the sprint, ‘unfortunately you haven’t got the place’. We don’t do it without the evidence.”

Varnish’s accusations run deeper than two sexist comments. She has spoken of not being given the courtesy of a meeting to explain why she was dropped but Sutton disputes this and rearranges the furniture in his office to illustrate the meeting that he says did take place and lasted one hour and 15 minutes. He also wants to make it clear that he did not break the news of her being ousted. He says Iain Dyer, the Great Britain head coach, revealed the decision when pressed over the phone by Varnish. The investigation and suspension means that Sutton is not allowed to meet Varnish for the coffee that he says she has requested, but he does want to set out his side of the story.

“Actually I’m embracing the opportunity to sit in front of the panel and give my view because I don’t think I’ve been heard properly from day one of this,” he says. “I’ve had great support from everybody here but at the end of the day it’s an allegation.”

I have never used the terminology, ‘You’ve got a fat ars*.’ I’m just really upset she would say that
It is an allegation serious enough to put his job in jeopardy but he says that, informally, Ian Drake, his chief executive, has been supportive.

Of all the messages of support, the one he values most came from Varnish’s former sprint team-mates. Katy Marchant, Becky James and Vicky Williamson sent a joint text message, knowing Sutton’s passion for statistics, stating: “Just want you to know we are 100 per cent behind you.”

Upon their arrival at the track centre yesterday, James and Marchant came to knock on his door and say hello. Sutton looked a little abashed. The riders do not ever report to his office for duty. It was their way of letting him know they back him.

The timing of the whole furore is, though, dreadful. Sutton should be concentrating only on the riders likely to be picked for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. He should be spending what free time he does have with Abbie, whom he married last August and who is expecting their first baby a week before the Olympics begin. In fact, as the sexism row escalated, he was by her side in hospital for some scans. His children from a previous relationship have been phoning him, worried about what is being said about their father.

The row has seen comment from former riders claiming that British Cycling operates in a culture of sexism. Victoria Pendleton has said that she believes the claims made by Varnish, with whom she competed at London 2012, and said that she felt miserable when part of the organisation. Again, Sutton is baffled.

“I find it astonishing Vicky would wade in, given that on the journey [preparing for] Beijing, I’m up until 3 o’ clock in the morning decorating her house in Wilmslow,” he says.

“The number of times I’ve held her in my arms in the track centre when she has capitulated. I was very supportive of her. I’m a bit hurt by the allegations given my relationship with her over the years.”

There have been more general accusations levelled this week that British Cycling is dominated at managerial level by men, but Sutton argues that this has been changing of late, that he has helped to appoint women as men have left their roles, with the most high- profile example being that of Ruth Anderson, who took over from Steve Peters, the renowned psychologist.

“Filling Doc Peters’ shoes was never going to be easy,” he says. Sutton frowns at the notion of positive discrimination. “She was best person for the job.”

Inevitably we return to the topic of Varnish and of how her version and his version of events differ so dramatically.

Sutton explains that after a body scan, Varnish did express concern that she was getting mixed messages about her weight. “That’s where the whole weight thing has come from but nobody’s ever said, ‘Jess, you’ve got a fat backside’ or anything,” he says.

As for her accusations that she was not given the best technical support, Sutton reveals that she was given full Olympic kit for the recent World Championships, not a privilege afforded to many in the GB team that week.

Varnish has also said that she deserves to be in a race-off with Marchant for an Olympic place, but Sutton says that this is illogical.

“The selection criteria [are] not about a race-off,” he says. “We’ve got to look at Olympic medals. Jess was devoted to her job, but unfortunately where her times were going backwards the rest of the world was progressing, so the gap was growing and growing.”

Sutton has delivered bad news to riders so often that he knows the emotional process they go through, that they suffer “a trio of emotions”.

“The first thing thing is we get into a very emotional state and that might put you in tears and then go though a period of getting angry, and the last phase is, ‘What can I get out of it?’ ”

Interestingly, Sutton is not trying to be on best behaviour for this interview. He still refers to “Sheilas”. He is unapologetic about his Aussie brashness.

He says he is not worried about how to address the women in the building after the negative publicity because the support has been overwhelming. And he will not change the way he talks to women “because that would not be giving equality. They are athletes on the GB squad regardless of gender”.

He does have one overriding concern, though. “I fear for the way I’m being perceived within my job. Regardless of anything, this is an evidence-based programme. It’s like being a football manager; you are judged on results. I’m fearful that I’ll be perceived for what I’m not.”

I ask Abbie to sum up her husband in five words. “Passionate, dedicated, loyal, trustworthy and overactive,” she says. He is also, evidently, despite that brashness, not immune to being hurt.

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Thanks thehog! Freudian slips?

I have never used the terminology, ‘You’ve got a fat ars*.’ I’m just really upset she would say that
It is an allegation serious enough to put his job in jeopardy but he says that, informally, Ian Drake, his chief executive, has been supportive.

Of all the messages of support, the one he values most came from Varnish’s former sprint team-mates. Katy Marchant, Becky James and Vicky Williamson sent a joint text message, knowing Sutton’s passion for statistics, stating: “Just want you to know we are 100 per cent behind you. ”

He should be spending what free time he does have with Abbie, whom he married last August and who is expecting their first baby a week before the Olympics begin. In fact, as the sexism row escalated, he was by her side in hospital for some scans.

So it turns out he was he thinking all the time about himself - going and having a baby

 

[Robert21]

How long before he joins team Sky?

I would have thought that if a job isn't lined up for him somewhere, then there would be nothing to stop him from 'doing a Varnish' and blowing the whole of BC / Sky out of the water with some backroom revelations. If no job and no revelations materialise, I guess this is suggests that BC and Sky are clean after all.

 

[thehog]

How long before he joins team Sky?

I would have thought that if a job isn't lined up for him somewhere, then there would be nothing to stop him from 'doing a Varnish' and blowing the whole of BC / Sky out of the water with some backroom revelations. If no job and no revelations materialise, I guess this is suggests that BC and Sky are clean after all.

Don't worry, he can become a hedge fund advisor We live in a strange world of the BC money train...

The career of Shane Sutton, technical director of Great Britain’s cycling team, took an unusual turn in April. As well as helping elite cyclists shave vital seconds off race times, he started advising two of the UK’s biggest asset management companies.

GLG Partners, a subsidiary of the world’s biggest listed hedge fund manager Man Group, and Schroders, Europe’s second largest independent asset management group, hired Mr Sutton in the belief that he could boost their investment performance.

“It may seem odd that a cycling coach is advising fund managers. But in both cycling and business, decisions are about emotions and behaviour – and everything is driven by numbers,” says Mr Sutton, who cycled in the Tour de France and won a gold medal for Australia in the Commonwealth Games before switching to coaching in 1997.

Sir Bradley Wiggins, the first British winner of the Tour de France in 2012, was “obsessed by numbers”, he adds.

The career twist of Mr Sutton highlights how asset management is changing, particularly at some traditional investment groups, which are ditching simple stockpicking techniques and adopting strategies used by their racier hedge fund cousins.

https://next.ft.com/content/3d9bb4aa-587a-11e4-a31b-00144feab7de

 

[Robert21]

I have never used the terminology, ‘You’ve got a fat ars*.’ I’m just really upset she would say that

Looking through the reports he didn't say that, and come to that neither did Varnish. It was the Daily Mail (a right ***-stirring, cyclist-hating rag) that first used that phrase, in their headline reporting on the spat. This is what she originally said in The Telegraph.

She said: "After 2012 I was told that, "with an *** like mine I couldn't change position within the team sprint". It basically implies the stronger woman has to go in "man one" position because I'm quite glute dominant, shall we say."

So it would seem to be true that no suggestion was made that her backside was 'fat'.

 

[Robert21]

Don't worry, he can become a hedge fund advisor We live in a strange world of the BC money train...

Strewth mate, so much for him being just some 'Neanderthal' Aussie. I guess a role like that would be reason enough for him to protect his image and reputation. (Or rather what remains of it.)

Interestingly, Sutton is not trying to be on best behaviour for this interview. He still refers to “Sheilas”. He is unapologetic about his Aussie brashness.

He says he is not worried about how to address the women in the building after the negative publicity because the support has been overwhelming. And he will not change the way he talks to women “because that would not be giving equality. They are athletes on the GB squad regardless of gender”.

That attitude is exactly where he has gone wrong. He forgot to read the memo telling hims that 'equality' these days means treating women with greater respect and courtesy that you would give a male in the same situation, you can't treat women as just being 'one of the lads'.

 

[TourOfSardinia]

He forgot to read the memo telling hims that 'equality' these days means treating women with greater respect and courtesy that you would give a male in the same situation, you can't treat women as just being 'one of the lads'.

you can if the lad is paraplegic though.

 

[Benotti69]

Re: Re:

I think you will find he claims his straight talking comes from who he is (and that includes his heritage). Our background does influence how we interact. But I am happy to be corrected about mentioning his roots. Australian, British or what doesn't really matter to me.

You are still failing to admit that he is a despicable human being.

Correct. I didn't say that. You now presume to tell me what I should say? How did that come about? I said I am less open-minded than I was and you will find it is a British trait to understate the position.

Do you think its ok to call disabled people who work for you, "gimps"?

Of course not. Who is being investigated here? You know full well that no poster has any obligation to express any opinion. If anybody does so, it is a gift to others, not their right.

You had no problem defending the guy and querying Varnish's side of the story and when it turns out Sutton is a despicable person you are trying to obfuscate.

 

[Fearless Greg Lemond]

Dont want to be a party pooper, but, do you guys know how it works in the top of sports? Yes, it is of inhuman, but, thats how it works, worked for decades.

My question is, who did Shane piss off so much he is now being dropped by British Cycling? It sure as hell cant be the bullocks of the female cyclist.

 

[Semper Fidelis]

Re:

Dont want to be a party pooper, but, do you guys know how it works in the top of sports? Yes, it is of inhuman, but, thats how it works, worked for decades.

My question is, who did Shane piss off so much he is now being dropped by British Cycling? It sure as hell cant be the bullocks of the female cyclist.

I know how it works, maybe not cycling but within long distance running.

You are not really taking up for this "man" are you?

 

[wrinklyvet]

Re: Re:

@Benotti

What I said two days ago before other complainants in the recent fracas came forward was

I still have no idea whether he said it and, if he did, in what context.

There's a great temptation to criticise both Shane Sutton and his accuser, or one or the other. It's interesting to see Clinic members take sides. But, as Benotti once posted in response to me, the Clinic is not a popularity contest. So perhaps one should not hold the protagonists to a higher standard of thought, respect and action than ourselves. Though it would, I suppose, lead to a dull old time.

If you think that is defending him more than Varnish, who was coming in for flak for allegedly crying foul, then so be it. An example of the unfair comments was the following, which was from jens_attacks though there is another poster here sticking up for men in the sexism debate, which I haven't done myself.

Most of the trainers are complete douches with their athletes, men or women. In my country, they would even smack you or call you in the worst ways you imagine. Things like that can make you or break you. Professional sport is for tough characters.

Crying because your trainer said you have a big bum isabsolutely pathetic and also revealing this. I'm very far from being ryo but c'mon this is ridiculous. A trainershould be ruthless.

I thought it was time for some balance while there was incomplete information as to what actually happened.
No, I don't defend the guy. So much has come out about him from publicly quoted and attributed sources in the last few days that probably only he will want to do that.

Make what you will of it, but the topic here is Sutton, not me.

 

[Benotti69]

Re:

Dont want to be a party pooper, but, do you guys know how it works in the top of sports? Yes, it is of inhuman, but, thats how it works, worked for decades.

My question is, who did Shane piss off so much he is now being dropped by British Cycling? It sure as hell cant be the bullocks of the female cyclist.

Party poop away. We also know that doping is how it works in sport but don't accept that.

How it works is not acceptable.

 

[Benotti69]

Re: Re:

@Benotti

What I said two days ago before other complainants in the recent fracas came forward was

I still have no idea whether he said it and, if he did, in what context.

There's a great temptation to criticise both Shane Sutton and his accuser, or one or the other. It's interesting to see Clinic members take sides. But, as Benotti once posted in response to me, the Clinic is not a popularity contest. So perhaps one should not hold the protagonists to a higher standard of thought, respect and action than ourselves. Though it would, I suppose, lead to a dull old time.

If you think that is defending him more than Varnish, who was coming in for flak for allegedly crying foul, then so be it. An example of the unfair comments was the following, which was from jens_attacks though there is another poster here sticking up for men in the sexism debate, which I haven't done myself.

Most of the trainers are complete douches with their athletes, men or women. In my country, they would even smack you or call you in the worst ways you imagine. Things like that can make you or break you. Professional sport is for tough characters.

Crying because your trainer said you have a big bum isabsolutely pathetic and also revealing this. I'm very far from being ryo but c'mon this is ridiculous. A trainershould be ruthless.

I thought it was time for some balance while there was incomplete information as to what actually happened.
No, I don't defend the guy. So much has come out about him from publicly quoted and attributed sources in the last few days that probably only he will want to do that.

Make what you will of it, but the topic here is Sutton, not me.

I don't care that most of the trainers are complete douches. Would not surprise me in the least, but i do not accept it. As i pointed out above the culture to dope and cheat is the norm. I don't accept that culture.

No the subject is not you, but you still have not called a spade a spade. Sutton was suspended by TeamGB then he resigned. Multiple allegations of sexism and racism.

 

[wrinklyvet]

Re: Re:

@Benotti

What I said two days ago before other complainants in the recent fracas came forward was

I still have no idea whether he said it and, if he did, in what context.

There's a great temptation to criticise both Shane Sutton and his accuser, or one or the other. It's interesting to see Clinic members take sides. But, as Benotti once posted in response to me, the Clinic is not a popularity contest. So perhaps one should not hold the protagonists to a higher standard of thought, respect and action than ourselves. Though it would, I suppose, lead to a dull old time.

If you think that is defending him more than Varnish, who was coming in for flak for allegedly crying foul, then so be it. An example of the unfair comments was the following, which was from jens_attacks though there is another poster here sticking up for men in the sexism debate, which I haven't done myself.

Most of the trainers are complete douches with their athletes, men or women. In my country, they would even smack you or call you in the worst ways you imagine. Things like that can make you or break you. Professional sport is for tough characters.

Crying because your trainer said you have a big bum isabsolutely pathetic and also revealing this. I'm very far from being ryo but c'mon this is ridiculous. A trainershould be ruthless.

I thought it was time for some balance while there was incomplete information as to what actually happened.
No, I don't defend the guy. So much has come out about him from publicly quoted and attributed sources in the last few days that probably only he will want to do that.

Make what you will of it, but the topic here is Sutton, not me.

I don't care that most of the trainers are complete douches. Would not surprise me in the least, but i do not accept it. As i pointed out above the culture to dope and cheat is the norm. I don't accept that culture.

No the subject is not you, but you still have not called a spade a spade. Sutton was suspended by TeamGB then he resigned. Multiple allegations of sexism and racism.

I don't approve either. That's the WHOLE point. So read it again.

 

[Benotti69]

Re: Re:

@Benotti

What I said two days ago before other complainants in the recent fracas came forward was

I still have no idea whether he said it and, if he did, in what context.

There's a great temptation to criticise both Shane Sutton and his accuser, or one or the other. It's interesting to see Clinic members take sides. But, as Benotti once posted in response to me, the Clinic is not a popularity contest. So perhaps one should not hold the protagonists to a higher standard of thought, respect and action than ourselves. Though it would, I suppose, lead to a dull old time.

If you think that is defending him more than Varnish, who was coming in for flak for allegedly crying foul, then so be it. An example of the unfair comments was the following, which was from jens_attacks though there is another poster here sticking up for men in the sexism debate, which I haven't done myself.

Most of the trainers are complete douches with their athletes, men or women. In my country, they would even smack you or call you in the worst ways you imagine. Things like that can make you or break you. Professional sport is for tough characters.

Crying because your trainer said you have a big bum isabsolutely pathetic and also revealing this. I'm very far from being ryo but c'mon this is ridiculous. A trainershould be ruthless.

I thought it was time for some balance while there was incomplete information as to what actually happened.
No, I don't defend the guy. So much has come out about him from publicly quoted and attributed sources in the last few days that probably only he will want to do that.

Make what you will of it, but the topic here is Sutton, not me.

I don't care that most of the trainers are complete douches. Would not surprise me in the least, but i do not accept it. As i pointed out above the culture to dope and cheat is the norm. I don't accept that culture.

No the subject is not you, but you still have not called a spade a spade. Sutton was suspended by TeamGB then he resigned. Multiple allegations of sexism and racism.

I don't approve either. That's the WHOLE point. So read it again.

Call a spade a spade.

 

[wrinklyvet]

Re: Re:

@Benotti

What I said two days ago before other complainants in the recent fracas came forward was

I still have no idea whether he said it and, if he did, in what context.

There's a great temptation to criticise both Shane Sutton and his accuser, or one or the other. It's interesting to see Clinic members take sides. But, as Benotti once posted in response to me, the Clinic is not a popularity contest. So perhaps one should not hold the protagonists to a higher standard of thought, respect and action than ourselves. Though it would, I suppose, lead to a dull old time.

If you think that is defending him more than Varnish, who was coming in for flak for allegedly crying foul, then so be it. An example of the unfair comments was the following, which was from jens_attacks though there is another poster here sticking up for men in the sexism debate, which I haven't done myself.

Most of the trainers are complete douches with their athletes, men or women. In my country, they would even smack you or call you in the worst ways you imagine. Things like that can make you or break you. Professional sport is for tough characters.

Crying because your trainer said you have a big bum isabsolutely pathetic and also revealing this. I'm very far from being ryo but c'mon this is ridiculous. A trainershould be ruthless.

I thought it was time for some balance while there was incomplete information as to what actually happened.
No, I don't defend the guy. So much has come out about him from publicly quoted and attributed sources in the last few days that probably only he will want to do that.

Make what you will of it, but the topic here is Sutton, not me.

I don't care that most of the trainers are complete douches. Would not surprise me in the least, but i do not accept it. As i pointed out above the culture to dope and cheat is the norm. I don't accept that culture.

No the subject is not you, but you still have not called a spade a spade. Sutton was suspended by TeamGB then he resigned. Multiple allegations of sexism and racism.

I don't approve either. That's the WHOLE point. So read it again.

Call a spade a spade.

Why, to earn your approval? Go whistle.

What I said was, "No, I don't defend the guy. So much has come out about him from publicly quoted and attributed sources in the last few days that probably only he will want to do that."

Can't see where I am going with that? Is it over-subtle?

I have stuff to do and no more time to waste.

 

[thehog]

My god, just went to Twitter. Won't be doing that again!

 

[Benotti69]

Brodie O'Donnell @Bridie_OD

"it took years for AUS riders to finally reveal the damage done by Charlie Walsh & his occasional 'genius' coaching tactics that ruined many..."

Seems the Aussie's don't accept that behaviour.

 

[pastronef]

oh dear, Digger and Vayerism arguing on twitter with Sutton´s wife.

 

[Fearless Greg Lemond]

Re: Re:

I know how it works, maybe not cycling but within long distance running.

You are not really taking up for this "man" are you?

Perspective is the right wording I think. When the hounddogs come....