Former British Olympic cyclist arrested on suspicion of rape and indecent assault, says report

A former British cyclist who competed in the Olympics has been arrested on suspicion of rape and indecent assault, reports the Mail on Sunday.

The British newspaper claims to know the identity of the suspect but it cannot reveal it due to legal reasons.

Local police forces who are tasked with investigating the allegation say that the man has been bailed while inquiries are ongoing.

The Mail on Sunday further adds that the ex-rider has since held a "prominent position in professional cycling" after their retirement from racing, working with some of the country's biggest cycling stars.

A British Cycling spokesperson said: "Abuse of any kind has no place in sport. 

"We urge anybody with concerns about non-recent or current abuse to report them either directly to the British Cycling safeguarding team by emailing compliance@britishcycling.org.uk."

British Cycling, the national governing body, has endured a turbulent year, with a series of PR blunders that has undermined the performances of its athletes.

Trans riders were prevented from competing in April, cyclists were told not to ride their bikes on the day of the Queen's funeral, and then its CEO Brian Facer recently quit just weeks after a controversial partnership with the oil and gas giant Shell was announced.

The latter decision caused disquiet within British Cycling, with its former president Brian Cookson telling Cycling Weekly that the organisation's chair Frank Slevin had to own up to the perceived errors.

"I have no confidence in him to continue - I think he should go," Cookson, also the former president of the UCI, said.

Grassroots racing in the UK has also been undergoing a negative downturn, with race participation numbers significantly lower across the board.

Cycling Time Trials, the independent body that oversees time trials on British roads and has no affiliation to British Cycling, is in a financial crisis; in the past two decades it has seen the number of riders competing dwindle from 80,000 to 30,000.

At the professional level, however, British cyclists are performing as well as ever before, with gold medals in world championships and wins in the biggest of races.