Double Olympic champion Geraint Thomas says inequality in cycling needs to be addressed following Shane Sutton's resignation.
British Cycling chief Sutton stepped down with 100 days to go until the Rio Games amid discrimination allegations he called Paralympic cyclists "gimps", shortly after the announcement of an independent review into claims of sexism made by Jess Varnish.
"There is absolutely no place for inequality in sport, and the recent accusations made against British cycling need to be looked at and treated seriously," Thomas wrote on his Facebook page.
Team Sky rider Thomas worked with Sutton at the London and Beijing Olympics, where he won two gold medals in the team pursuit.
"Shane is one of the main reasons I am where I am today," Thomas added. "He has always wanted the best for British riders, and gone the extra mile for us. He's done more than most for British Cycling.
"The inequity issues won't finish with Shane's resignation/investigation, there is a problem with inequality in cycling as a whole that needs to be addressed."
Sir Dave Brailsford, whom Sutton succeeded as British cycling chief in 2014, also paid tribute to the 58-year-old Australian's coaching ability.
"Shane is one of the best tactical and technical coaches I have worked with. His contribution to the success of British cycling has been immense," Team Sky principal Brailsford said in a statement.
British Cycling have been instructed by UK Sport to investigate claims by a British newspaper that equipment has been made for sale on auction websites.
There are reports British Cycling personnel met on Tuesday morning to address claims by a British newspaper that high-performance kit, including skinsuits and bikes worth in the region of £10,000, have been made available for sale to the highest bidder.
A statement from UK Sport, which has invested £30.5 million into British Cycling for 2013-2017, read: "It is vital we protect our investment in all sports on the world-class programme.
"It is not appropriate to speculate or comment further until the investigation is completed."
British Cycling is to investigate whether the kit shown for sale in screengrabs once belonged to the governing body, whether it was stolen or out of date. The kit may no longer have been of use to the team due to a change of sponsor, for example.
Press Association Sport contributed to this report