Rapha slams Chloé Dygert over social media conduct: ‘An apology she issued was not sufficient’

Apparel manufacturer Rapha has slammed world time trial champion Chloé Dygert over her social media conduct, saying the apology issued by Dygert for liking offensive and divisive posts on Twitter did not go far enough.

The statement was sent to Rapha customers via an email on Friday morning, and the apparel brand pulled no punches on Dygert, who recently inked a four-year deal with the Canyon-SRAM professional women’s team, which is sponsored by Rapha.

“We are writing to you today to clarify our position on the actions of new Canyon//SRAM Racing rider Chloé Dygert who, back in June, endorsed racist and transphobic views on social media. Rapha wholeheartedly condemns these actions as they were offensive, divisive and have no place in cycling or society. Since we became aware of this incident, we have taken time to fully investigate what happened, consulting with the rider, Canyon//SRAM Racing and other partners in order to take informed action in response,” the statement said. “Having undergone that process, we believe that Chloé has made very serious errors of judgment, which were compounded by an apology she issued that was not sufficient.”

The brand’s statement stems from a situation that unfolded earlier this year concerning Dygert’s use of Twitter. On Twitter, users can click a ‘like’ button on statements made by other users, and then Twitter archives these posts on a user’s page.

Photos of Dygert’s liked history circulated online after a Twitter user searched through Dygert’s achive and took screenshots of divisive tweets she had liked over the summer.

The posts are no longer liked by Dygert.

The tweets in question were made by politically conservative media personalities, and the statements took aim at civil rights activists as well as transgender inclusion.

One tweet, written by radio show host Charlie Kirk, proclaimed: ‘The color of your skin doesn’t determine your success in America It’s about how hard you work & the choice you make — That’s real privilege. ” Another tweet, written by author Candace Owens, slammed former NFL quarterback and civil rights activist Colin Kaepernick, saying, “Hope everyone had a happy 4th! Colin Kapernick sure did back in 2011, before he realized that if he grew an afro and played the part of victim, he could scam the black community out of millions. Those were the days!”

Dygert liked another tweet from Owens, which said: ‘Breaking: Trump is proposing a rule not to allow men into women’s homeless shelters, because men who self-identify as women, are not actually women, just as children who self-identify as mermaids, are not actually fish. Protect vulnerable women from woke culture.’

On November 14 Dygert released a statement apologizing for her social media conduct.

“Cycling should be for everyone regardless of color, gender, sexuality or background. Like Canyon-SRAM Racing, I am committed to promoting diversity, inclusion and equality in cycling and our wider communities,” Dygert wrote on Instagram. “I apologize to those who felt offended or hurt by my conduct on social media. I am committed to keep learning and growing as an athlete and a person.”

Canyon-SRAM released a statement of its own, stating its commitment to “Treating all people with respect and dignity regardless of gender, color, sexual preference, or background.”

“We commit to regular training and support to ensure all members are fully aware of and align with our team’s values,” the team said. “This applies to all riders and equally to Chloé Dygert, who in a public statement has willingly committed herself to the values of our team.”

In its Friday statement, Rapha said it had conducted an investigation of its own into the incident, and had spoken with Dygert about the incident.

“Having spoken to her at length, we believe that Chloé has the capacity and the will to listen, learn and to change,” Rapha said. “All of us, the team and each of its partners, have acknowledged that we need to take action following this incident to ensure that this never happens again.”

According to Rapha, the Canyon-SRAM team is working with a diversity and inclusion consultant to create training for the riders.

Rapha said it intends to continue to support the team as a result of Dygert and the team’s willingness to work together.

“Discrimination has no place in cycling or society, and we are committed to fighting it in all of its forms by promoting diversity, inclusion and equality in the sport,” Rapha said. “There is no issue we take more seriously, and should there be any subsequent breach of these standards, the team will review the position outlined immediately.”

The entire Rapha statement is below:

As you know, earlier this year we committed to fighting discrimination within cycling as part of our wider effort to promote diversity, inclusion and greater equality in the sport we love. It’s absolutely imperative that as we develop our relationship with this subject, we do so with integrity. So we are writing to you today to clarify our position on the actions of new Canyon//SRAM Racing rider Chloé Dygert who, back in June, endorsed racist and transphobic views on social media. Rapha wholeheartedly condemns these actions as they were offensive, divisive and have no place in cycling or society.

Since we became aware of this incident, we have taken time to fully investigate what happened, consulting with the rider, Canyon//SRAM Racing and other partners in order to take informed action in response. Having undergone that process, we believe that Chloé has made very serious errors of judgment, which were compounded by an apology she issued that was not sufficient. However, we also believe that trusting the ability of people to change is key to reaching any form of meaningful reconciliation. Having spoken to her at length, we believe that Chloé has the capacity and the will to listen, learn and to change.

All of us, the team and each of its partners, have acknowledged that we need to take action following this incident to ensure that this never happens again. Canyon//SRAM Racing have already taken clear steps to work with Chloé and is engaging with an external Diversity & Inclusion consultant in order to develop a comprehensive program of diversity and inclusion training that focuses on dialogue and education. This is something that we believe will have a considerable impact within the team and beyond. Exact details of the program will be published by the team in the coming weeks.

As a result of our conversations, the willingness that Chloé has demonstrated, and the meaningful actions that Canyon//SRAM Racing is putting in place, Rapha will continue to support the team. Acknowledging that they, like us, must do more to promote diversity, inclusion and equality, Canyon//SRAM Racing has been instrumental in promoting women’s cycling over the last five years, and the continuation of this work should not be jeopardized by the actions of one person. This incident has been an opportunity for all of us to learn and understand how much more we can all do.

Finally, we would like to reiterate our stance on this issue once more. Discrimination has no place in cycling or society, and we are committed to fighting it in all of its forms by promoting diversity, inclusion and equality in the sport. There is no issue we take more seriously, and should there be any subsequent breach of these standards, the team will review the position outlined immediately. As part of this process, we will be reviewing our own working policies and practices to prevent similar incidents in the future. The last two weeks have served only to intensify our commitment to improve, starting with the actions outlined here.