The 58-year-old Australian, who had been in the post since 2014, had earlier been suspended by the National Federation after sprinter Jess Varnish and six-time Paralympic champion Darren Kenny had claimed he had made derogatory comments.

Varnish claimed that Sutton had told her she was “too old” and that she should “go and have a baby” when telling the 25-year-old that her contract was not to be renewed.

The decision to drop Varnish from the performance programme was said to have been made after a performance review, which took place after the 25-year-old had criticised coaches’ selections after missing out on a team sprint berth at this year's Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Following her claims, Kenny told the Daily Mail that Sutton had referred to Para-cyclists in derogatory terms, stating “the term used to refer to us was generally 'gimps', with another word in front of that.”

British Cycling revealed that independent review would be launched into their performance programmes, but Sutton has now opted to resign from his post.

“Today starts the 100-day countdown to the Olympic and Paralympic Games, it is absolutely crucial that, as our athletes begin their final preparations for Rio, they are able to do so free of distraction,” Sutton said in a statement.

“The developments over the past few days have clearly become a distraction.

“It is for this reason, and having spoken to friends and family, that I believe it is in the best interests of British Cycling for me to step down from my position as technical director.

“It is important that the review announced by British Cycling and UK Sport now takes place, and I will obviously cooperate fully with this.

“I have made clear that I reject the specific claims that have been made against me in recent days, and I look forward to taking a full part in the review process so I can respond to the allegations in detail.”

Sutton joined British Cycling as a coach in back in 2002 and was part of the team which enjoyed huge success at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympics, where the British team earned seven track gold medals in both Games.

The 1978 Commonwealth Games gold medallist became technical director back in 2014, following the departure of Sir Dave Brailsford, who stepped down after 10-years in charge to focus on his role at Team Sky, a UCI WorldTour road team.

Sutton has been due to lead the British team into Rio 2016, having finished top of the medals table at their home Track World Championship last month, with five golds, one silver and three bronze.

British Cycling have announced that their programme director Andy Harrison will replace Sutton immediately and will prepare the team for the Olympic Games.

“I want to put on record my thanks to Shane for his work with British Cycling and the part he has played in our success, we have a lot to be proud of and, with the Olympics and Paralympics this summer, a lot to look forward to,” said Ian Drake, British Cycling chief executive.

“I understand and respect Shane’s decision to stand down.

“His primary focus has always been the athletes, and this decision is something he has taken to allow them to focus on their preparation for Rio.”