British Cycling being embarassing, obsequious idiots ...

It took me two weeks but I finally got round to writing my letter to BC and sending back my cut up membership card.

Cancellation of British Cycling membership in protest at Shell UK sponsorship

Dear Sir or Madam,

Further to my correspondence with your membership team earlier this month I am writing to cancel my membership of British Cycling in protest at the decision to accept Shell UK as an official sponsor of British Cycling. My membership card is enclosed.

In the response to my email to your Membership Team I was told that the sponsorship would “...help us to progress important work to move our business and sport towards net-zero”.

That the management and Board of British Cycling see a grubby sponsorship deal with an oil company with a highly questionable environmental record - who were responsible for disclosed emissions of 1,377 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2020 alone - as a viable way of achieving this is quite incredible.

It is hard to believe that they were not aware of the incompatibility of aligning the national organisation responsible for promoting cycling with one of the world’s biggest polluters and major oil companies.

If they were, it shows poor judgement and zero regard for the views of a sizable proportion of your membership. If they were not, it shows poor judgement and a worrying detachment from the views of your members.

The climate emergency is real - it is happening here and it is happening now. I find it extremely disappointing that British Cycling are choosing to ignore it.

Yours faithfully,

Fox.