British Cycling CEO Steps Down Amid Ongoing Controversies

Oct 31, 2022
by Ed Spratt  
photo

British Cycling announced today that CEO Brian Facer is leaving the federation with immediate effect after two years in the role. In a short statement released by British Cycling it was stated that the decision was reached "by mutual agreement with the board" and the current cycling delivery director, Danielle Every will be acting CEO during the search for a replacement.

Frank Slevin, British Cycling Chair, said “We remain fully committed to the delivery of our ‘Lead our sport, inspire our communities’ strategy, as we continue our work to support and grow our sport and wider activities, and provide our Great Britain Cycling Team riders with the best possible platform for success. Our new CEO will join the organisation at an exciting time as we build towards next year’s inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships in Scotland, and the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2024.”

Brian Facer's immediate departure from British Cycling marks a continuing story of controversy in 2022, with the announcement of a widely criticized partnership with oil company Shell, and being forced to apologise after advising people not to ride bikes during the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. Facer's departure is not expected to impact the Shell deal.

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44 Comments
  • 105 0
 Easier to get rid of the CEO than to give up the oil & gas $$$.
  • 29 2
 Clearest example that BC is a total shell out
  • 75 0
 His severance package includes an Enve poncho.
  • 15 0
 At least you'll be able to spot him in the crowd. "Oh look, former UCI CEO Brian Facer!". "What is he wearing???". "Failure..."
  • 65 1
 A very British thing to do
  • 2 0
 lmao
  • 2 1
 A very British thing to make a comment like that (this is a positive)
  • 39 1
 British cycling must have lost their truss in him.
  • 31 0
 If we follow current trends in the UK, he will be back working for BC next week!
  • 30 0
 Can the replacement be Dick Pound please, just for shits and giggles.
  • 14 2
 You can get a replacement Dick Pound pretty readily. Just ask around bud.
  • 23 2
 Now that Brian Facer has gone, cycling in the UK as we know it is dead. Its over. There is no cycling any more. You can buy as many waterbottles as you like but theres nothing to clip them to, no sport to suck them within, no novelty hook mechanism they can fall out of. There is nothing, just a massive void. Facer will be missed. He will be revered. A gospel will be written. Disciples will walk these shores. The Face of cycling is gone. The big man. The one and only. Facetime. The race face. F.A.C.E. Facer himself.
  • 18 1
 Bunch of MTBers getting all bent out of shape about a organisation that has advanced progress for MTB about as much as Jimmy Saville did for safeguarding young people in the 80's?

f*ck that noise, it's a sockpuppet of an organisation.
  • 2 0
 This guy hit it on the head, and the recommendation not to ride during the queens funeral, what a joke! The whole country at this point is just another punchline
  • 1 1
 @scamp123: It's the country that's been on the receiving end of so many punchlines it now has severe cognitive issues and seems permanently punch drunk..... They should have a cup of tea and a wee lay down.
  • 13 0
 Hopefully they will replace him with someone that likes mountain biking the road bias is strong I'm this organisation!
  • 1 0
 Cyclists of a certain age, like me for example, know that that British cycling is all about time trials, Moulton folding bikes, the hour record, road bike tricycles that are good for people in the early stages of multiple sclerosis and other neurodegenerative conditions, and most recently, Olympic BMX medals. The next generation of British cycling leadership should reflect this.
  • 7 0
 They also massively screwed up how to handle transgender athletes in sport... although an assist is owed to the UCI on that one too. There's a lot to balance these days, and it's not always easy, but you can do a better job than what BC have been doing.
  • 6 0
 Theres got to be more to this story than the speculation offered around a corporate deal and some ill timed advice. A corporate deal similar to many others agreed to by non-profits and advice offered that doesnt lead to anyone losing their job under normal circumstances.

It matters not a jot to this guy anyway. The CEO circuit is an old boys club which is a merry go round of incompetents performing poorly and then getting another gig somewhere else. As they say, you get promoted to your ultimate level of incompetence. Merely 15% of CEO hires are new hires so you just get recycled dross.

And this news has virtually no impact on mountain biking anyway. British cycling couldnt care less about us.
  • 9 2
 Probably got a higher paying job at BP/Shell/Chevron...

It's refreshingly nice people getting reprimanded for making stupid decisions.
  • 10 2
 It seems that Brian Faced a tough decision
  • 7 0
 Monty Python was right When facing great adversity......'Run away ...run awaaaaaaay
  • 4 0
 **laughs in Cycling Australia**

British Cycling has nothing on what we have to deal with here, just ask competitors at the National Enduro Championships.
  • 8 0
 There should be an annual competition to see which sport governing body is the most corrupt and ineffective. We could have national and international categories. I think it would make for some nail bitingly close contests.
  • 1 0
 @commental: pffft! Cycling is small fry compared to the likes of FIFA and FIA
  • 1 0
 @ROOTminus1: You forgot the IOC.
  • 5 0
 It was time to Facer the music.
  • 20 20
 Being in Australia, I was not aware of what has been going in British Cycling. Am I correct in understanding that a company has provided sponsorship but this not acceptable to cyclists despite the company:
- trades legally in multiple countries,
- provides a legal product which the UK cannot survive without for transport, heating and electricity.
- provides by-products (plastics, rubbers, nylons, fertilisers, which are used by billions daily,
- provides lubricants which are used by bicycles,
- provides by-products such as resins, synthetic, rubbers and which are used by bicycles.
- does not throw paint on artworks or block roads used by normal people
Ok...
  • 4 0
 It’s the future, I tell ya!
  • 8 0
 Yes, but you're forgetting that the previous sponsor was that completely benign banking organisation HSBC, who never did anything bad in the world, not ever.
  • 3 0
 Can anyone remember a time when •British Cycling wasn't 'amid controversy'?

•insert UCI here
  • 2 0
 He wouldn't have made the Shell deal alone.
  • 1 0
 He's leaving to spend more time with his car.
  • 1 0
 Keep Shell! Take the Money & Ride
  • 1 1
 He‘s a facer, not a quitter
  • 1 0
 What a farce, Mr Facer.
  • 8 11
 Seems that the board actually understands why this is bad for the organization, unlike all of those 5 year old PB Straw Man commenters.
  • 9 6
 And yet they continue the partnership with Shell so I am not sure how bad think it really is.
  • 27 21
 @kokofosho: most real people with jobs and shit don't care that Shell is involved, because adults understand that nothing is free in the real world.
  • 11 14
 @kokofosho: no one cares about the shell deal
  • 5 1
 @jaame: That's what's confusing for an outsider to this whole scandal. the stuff british politicians (and monarchs) have been getting caught doing seem way worse than partnering with a dubious company (nearly every multinational corporation that sponsors things have skeletons in their closet to some extent) and asking people to not ride for ten days (probably standard messaging for all large UK organizations during the nations period of mourning.

but I supppose politicians and monarchs are a protected class, above private citizens.

Or maybe there are worse things he doesn't want to see the light of day.

Whatever the case, who cares. Most people only care about the cycling itself, and understand that most cycling organizations are bullshit.

Hein Verbruggen
  • 5 0
 @Rexuis-Twin: perhaps some seedy footage of him in a Moscow strip club emerged
  • 3 0
 @Rexuis-Twin: it was only during the queen’s actual funeral, not the whole “mourning” period.

I had a good ride.
  • 1 0
 @kokofosho: How bad is it?







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