Former Picnic PostNL rider Esmée Peperkamp has accused the Dutch cycling team of negligence over her health and treatment during five seasons with the women’s squad. Speaking publicly for the first time about experiences she previously described anonymously, the 29-year-old told Nando Boers of NOS Sport that she continues to deal with physical and psychological consequences of her time at the team.
Her account follows the investigation published by NOS and the In de Waaier podcast on 15 October, which drew on conversations with 71 current and former riders and staff and raised allegations about a culture of fear within the organisation. Former British professional Molly Weaver has also spoken out, saying the reports brought back experiences she described publicly a decade ago.
Peperkamp tells NOS of RED-S and concerns about medical care
Peperkamp raced for the organisation, previously known as DSM, from 2021 to 2025. She told NOS that she has not had a menstrual period since 2021 and is living with relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S), a condition associated with inadequate energy availability for the demands of training and everyday physiological function.
She alleges that the team’s medical oversight did not adequately identify or respond to warning signs. Although she underwent annual health assessments, Peperkamp said her menstrual health and hormone levels were not properly checked. She believes more attentive monitoring could have prevented some of the damage she describes.
Nutrition was another significant issue in her account. Peperkamp told NOS that she experienced persistent sickness when using prescribed sports nutrition and was later found to have lactose intolerance and irritable bowel syndrome. She said she repeatedly raised the problem but was told to adjust to the products, sometimes relying on water or an alternative drink supplied discreetly by carers while racing.
She also described saddle and back pain during demanding training, concerns about the management of a concussion following a 2024 crash at the Vuelta a Burgos, and a further crash at the race in 2025. These are Peperkamp’s allegations about her own treatment, not findings of an independent medical or disciplinary inquiry.
Six weeks away from racing and a disputed return process
Peperkamp told NOS she was removed from the team’s performance programme after being considered mentally unable to cope. She says she spent six weeks largely isolated from the normal training structure and had to wait for approval to see a psychologist. NOS reported having seen a letter from the clinical psychologist to the team doctor indicating that she was mentally capable.
According to Peperkamp, she was not given a clear explanation of what she needed to change or a defined plan for returning to the programme. She said the experience left her doubting herself and frightened about the consequences of speaking up.
Jeroen van Keulen, a lawyer and secretary of the Dutch professional cyclists’ association, questioned the circumstances described to NOS. He said that, if Peperkamp had been removed from the performance programme without being reported as ill, the situation appeared more like a suspension than a process designed to support an injured or unwell rider.
Peperkamp also told NOS that contractual provisions made her afraid of criticising the organisation even after leaving. The team said clauses protecting confidential and commercially sensitive information are customary, while acknowledging that riders might perceive such provisions as burdensome. Peperkamp’s account does not, by itself, establish whether the provisions were legally enforceable in the way she feared.
Molly Weaver says earlier concerns should not be dismissed
Weaver, who rode for the organisation when it was known as Liv-Plantur and Sunweb between 2015 and 2017, addressed the wider allegations in an Instagram statement earlier this week. She said she felt both vindicated and angry after seeing the latest reports.
She pointed to articles she says she published with CyclingTips in 2016, raising concerns about her experiences of the team’s approach to riders. Weaver said she did not want to revisit the details, but was troubled by responses from people disputing the allegations or accusing those who had spoken out of dishonesty.
“Just because you weren’t the victim of something it doesn’t mean that everyone else is lying,” she wrote. Weaver also acknowledged that she had good memories and worked with people she respected during her time with the team. Her point was that those experiences could coexist with harmful experiences reported by others.
Weaver’s post was a statement of support for people who say they were affected by the organisation. It was not a claim that she had witnessed the specific events described in Peperkamp’s NOS interview.
Picnic PostNL disputes overall picture and promises investigation
Picnic PostNL has said it does not recognise the overall portrayal presented in the original NOS and In de Waaier reporting. In its statement of 15 October, the team nonetheless acknowledged the seriousness of the accounts and said it would commission an independent professional investigation into its culture, taking action on any findings that required changes.
In the responses included in Peperkamp’s NOS interview, the team declined to discuss individual cases, citing the privacy of former and current riders and staff. It also defended the purpose of confidentiality clauses, saying they were intended to safeguard personal information and commercially sensitive material.
Riders and staff members have offered differing accounts of the organisation. Some current team members have said they did not experience an unsafe environment, while others acknowledged that elements of the strict protocols described in the reporting were familiar. The allegations have not yet been resolved by the independent process the team announced.
