Former Ardennes star fights back with clear conscience, but doping stain lingers

Stannard debuted in 2017 with the continental version of Mitchelton Scott and joined the WorldTour team at the end of 2018. In the U23 category, he had proven himself as a multiple winner, with a strong punch and excellent climbing skills. In his first year as a pro, he immediately won a stage in the Coppi e Bartali, and in the COVID-19 year 2020, he performed strongly in the Italian one-day races. He also rode excellently in the Vuelta a España that year.

After Stannard confirmed his talent in 2021 with solid results in the Brabantse Pijl (sixth) and the Tour of Burgos, among others, he transferred to the up-and-coming team in 2022. Alpecin-Deceuninck sought punchy climbers to score points in the hills alongside van der Poel. It was an excellent choice, as Stannard won the Ethias-Tour de Wallonie in his first year with the Belgian team and fought long and hard for the polka dot jersey in the Vuelta.

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After riding strongly in the Critérium du Dauphiné and again in the Ethias-Tour de Wallonie in 2023, the news suddenly broke on August 2 that Stannard had been caught using banned substances. The then 23-year-old climber had 'abnormal values in his biological passport'; although he defended himself for a long time, he was ultimately banned from August 2018 to July 2022.

It was not until June 2024 that the UCI officially announced his four-year suspension, which took effect on the date the abnormalities were discovered, July 2018. This meant that Stannard, who Alpecin-Deceuninck dismissed after the news broke, could sign a new contract in August 2024. He did so with Bahrain Victorious just before his 26th birthday. Stannard insists to this day that he has never done anything wrong but has lost four years of his career.

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Stannard debuted last season in the colors of Bahrain Victorious in the BEMER Cyclassics and finished third in the final stage of the Gree-Tour of Guangxi. After an Australian campaign and the Opening Weekend, we saw him in March this year in Strade Bianche, the Tirreno-Adriatico, Milan-Sanremo, the E3, and Gent-Wevelgem. After a DNF in Dwars door Vlaanderen, he competed in the Basque Country Tour. "I'm super happy here and enjoying the racing," he told IDLProCycling.com in Tirreno.

However, when Stannard was confronted with his doping suspension and having to switch teams again last winter to make his real comeback, he remained silent for a long time. He carefully considered his response: "I'm mainly looking ahead now and am grateful I can race again. It was difficult, but I want to focus on the present. Maintaining a positive mindset and not dwelling too much on past setbacks."

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It is clear to see that Stannard has been marked by this experience, first and foremost physically. "I lack some racing experience and don't have high expectations of myself this year. I want to help my teammates and enjoy it; then, I'll come back when I'm ready. When you don't race for a long time, you lose that feeling a bit. I prepared well in the winter, with two months in Australia, but I want to support strong guys like Lenny Martinez and Pello Bilbao. I can ride for myself when my legs feel good again."

In addition to the practical racing rhythm and his somewhat different role, Stannard's image and mental strength have also suffered. He prefers not to think about that. "My conscience is clear. I haven't heard any negativity from anyone since I returned to racing. It's been nothing but positive from my colleagues and teammates. So I don't think about it and am not worried about it."

Bram van der Ploeg (Twitter: @BvdPloegg | email: [email protected])