Brian Facer Steps Down as British Cycling CEO

The following statement has appeared on the British Cycling website: Brian Facer is to step down as British Cycling CEO with immediate effect, by mutu …

By stwhannah

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Guardian was hardly gushing over his recent record!

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/oct/31/british-cycling-chief-brian-facer-steps-down-three-weeks-after-controversial-shell-deal

…and stopping Emily bridges from riding, and suggesting that people shouldn’t cycle out respect for the Queen. I would’ve thought the BoD had probably had enough of internally-created controversies.

…and stopping Emily bridges from riding

Wasn’t that the UCI?

In April it suspended its transgender policy after world governing body the UCI had stepped in to bar Emily Bridges from competing at the National Omnium Championships the previous week. Trans and non-binary athletes are still barred from competition pending the outcome of a review which is still in progress six months later.

“By mutual agreement” likely means he was invited to go and agreed.

Does anyone really think the rot at BC started or stopped at the top though?

You kind of think he has missed his chance of a full house by appointing as successors to Shell as sponsors the Chinese National Oil Company

It should just change it’s name to British Track Cycling and stick to that….

Wasn’t that the UCI?

@footflaps, I thought BC changed it’s policy and essentially dumped Emily by email? But i think that may have been after the UCI event?

Wasn’t that the UCI?

Actually, nobody stopped Emily Bridges from riding.

Does anyone really think the rot at BC started or stopped at the top though?

No.
It is deeply cultural. And in my experience includes Scottish cycling.
I too wish they would rename to ‘British who-want-to-race-skinny-wheel-bikes cycling, everyone else just move on’.

Yes, I gather they are poor at supporting off-road racing.

And they are best-case useless, worst-case a liability when it comes to advocacy stuff.

Their lack of interest or ability in that area has been a real dampening effect on organising any unified national advocacy effort for greater access.

The rot has been there for years, just every now and again a stone gets turned over and we get to see it again.

Now they’ll be cleaning themselves up for a while, then it’ll be back. Again.

Now they’ll be cleaning themselves up for a while

They’ll just hire someone in their own mould – unlikely anything will change….

They’ll just hire someone in their own mould – unlikely anything will change….

Not specific to BC at all but people at that CEO level do this pretty regularly. In post for a couple of years, step down (or “leave by mutual consent”) and then crop up again in another >£300k/year role somewhere else a couple of months later.

Kind of like Government – failure doesn’t really seem to follow them around, they just get headhunted / parachuted into another top level job and the process repeats.

£300k/year role somewhere else a couple of months later.

Kind of like Government – failure doesn’t really seem to follow them around, they just get headhunted / parachuted into another top level job and the process repeats.

And how does one find their way into a career like this?

(typing this in an office with no windows and deep into my overdraft)

And how does one find their way into a career like this?

Just give a quick call to one of your chums or chat over a whisky down the club when you are in town.

And they are best-case useless, worst-case a liability when it comes to advocacy stuff.

Their lack of interest or ability in that area has been a real dampening effect on organising any unified national advocacy effort for greater access.

While undermining support and credibility for Cycling UK, who aren’t perfect either but it’s a low bar…

And how does one find their way into a career like this?

If you have to ask the question, you’re not eligible to hear the answer…

I too wish they would rename to ‘British who-want-to-race-skinny-wheel-bikes cycling, everyone else just move on’.

I begrudgingly pay them because every year I might find the time to race.

Might be interesting next year as a few leagues are in talks about how to move away from BC over the Shell sponsorship. I don’t think anyone who races thinks there’s VFM in the £35 BC subs each year.

CTT obviously run everything outside BC.
As so various ‘local’ XC series (e.g Gorrick)
Not too much of a stretch to think that this time next year CX might be outside BC. Summer crit series might be harder unless something can be set up to oversee race Cats.

It’s absolutely true that they have done nothing to speak of on of-road advocacy. In fact it’s arguable they’ve been a brake on progress. I’ve seen this at close quarters.
Agreed that Cycling UK aren’t perfect but at least they are trying. Unless BC can up their game on this it would be better if they just stepped away altogether.

It’s absolutely true that they have done nothing to speak of on of-road advocacy.

Have they done anything for on-road advocacy, other than banning cycling during funerals for people you’ve never met?

A complete waste of space as far as I can tell.

A complete waste of space as far as I can tell.

Unless you are into track racing and road racing which seems to be their only real interest.
That said they might be crap at that as well.

Unless you are into track racing and road racing which seems to be their only real interest.
That said they might be crap at that as well.

I’ve not been involved with BC before, but I’ve organised 1.5 ‘BC’ road races this year ( the .5 was due to the original org getting covid). The regions/local BC people don’t have a good word to say about BC on the road either.

As above, they really should just split, hive off the Olympic/Track programme sponsored by Shell and let everyone else get on with it.

ot too much of a stretch to think that this time next year CX might be outside BC

I very much doubt it. I voted no when the BCCA merged with BC, and, unless something big is going on, it wont branch off on its own again. Overall, I think the BC merger has not done anything for CX, though with such a small membership base, it wont do much different on its own.

It’s absolutely true that they have done nothing to speak of on of-road advocacy. In fact it’s arguable they’ve been a brake on progress. I’ve seen this at close quarters.

More than arguable. It would be inappropriate to name names but we may well know one another 🙂

At least they don’t seem to have fooled anyone with their random, poorly timed press releases on advocacy things.