Warren Barguil responds Viciously to Picnic PostNL allegations: 'They are not on vacation at Club Med'

Barguil has spent most of his career with the team. He turned pro there in 2013 and rode for five consecutive seasons. After six years with Arkéa Samsic, he chose to return in 2024.

He achieved his greatest successes there, including two stage wins in the Tour de France and two stage wins in the Vuelta a España. This year, however, has been quite difficult for him, due to serious injuries and disappointing results.

"It's been a complicated season for me and the whole team," he says on Instagram. "Fortunately, the end of the season has given us a chance to catch our breath, especially thanks to the amazing victories by Frits and Pavel, which have already given us a positive outlook heading into 2027. Unfortunately, a recent article has been published that really hurts us, especially during this already delicate period in which we’re fighting for the team’s future and searching for sponsors.”

And so he tells his story. “I’m not here to comment on this article, but to share my story with this team. I turned pro here in 2013, after signing with the team back in 2011. The team gave me all the time I needed to hone my skills with the amateurs before I made the leap. There, I discovered a structure that’s ahead of its time, especially on the sprint train.”

Those changes brought the team a lot of success, and Barguil as well. Still, he chose to leave. “In 2017, I terminated my contract for 2018, ahead of the Tour de France. And yet, even though I was injured and preparing for the next season, the team had complete confidence in me to be at the start. That’s when Iwan (Spekenbrink, ed.) told me, ‘You’re coming back.’ And I did come back.”

The 34-year-old Frenchman responds sharply to the reports. “If the management had been toxic, I would never have come back. Just like in any company, there are rules and responsibilities. Like it or not, we’re not on vacation at Club Med," Barguil spat.

"As far as I’m concerned, this environment and these demands have helped me grow as a person. I know how hard Iwan, Marloes, and the entire team work, 24/7, to give us the chance to make a living from our passion.”

"Unfortunately, these days it's always the difficult times that make the front page, while there's too little talk about all the good things that have been done. I just wanted to say that I see my team giving it their all every day. Whether they’re riders or staff members, everyone wants to turn the page together for the new season and lay a new foundation for the future.”