Australian Robert Stannard, aged 25, has made a swift return to the WorldTour, signing with Bahrain Victorious. The team announced on Tuesday that Stannard would make his debut at the upcoming Tour of Britain, taking place from the 3rd to the 8th of September.
Stannard’s racing career had faced a major setback last August when the UCI provisionally suspended him for the “use of prohibited methods and/or substances”. The case concluded in June 2024, with Stannard accepting a four-year back-dated suspension for “unexplained” abnormal values on his Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) in 2018 and 2019.
“It’s awesome to be able to ride my bike again, to be able to continue my cycling career,” Stannard said in the Bahrain Victorious press release. “I had to make a hard choice: accept the ruling and be able to do the sport I love again, or fight to clear my name. I believe I’ve made the wisest choice. I hope to be able to do both in the long run, but for now, I am seizing with both hands the opportunity to race again! I feel like I’ve got my life back, in a way. I can’t wait to return to racing, and I’m so grateful to have been given this opportunity by Bahrain.”
Stannard last competed with Alpecin-Deceuninck from 2022 to 2023, having started his career with Mitchelton-Scott in 2018. He secured a notable victory in the Tour de Wallonie in 2022 before his suspension.
Despite the suspension and allegations, Stannard continues to deny any wrongdoing. “Athletes with ABP violations have not returned positive blood or urine tests for anything,” Stannard stated in today’s press release. “They alleged that it could only have been caused by ‘illegal means’, but throughout the entire process, no evidence of any wrongdoing was provided. No evidence of doping is collected or required for them to reach this judgment. I hope the Tribunal ruling will be published in the future, and then people will be able to read the details and make up their own minds. But it’s certainly changed my perspective on things, on cycling, and life as a whole.”
Vladimir Miholjevič, Bahrain Victorious’ performance manager, spoke positively about Stannard’s potential with the team. “We are happy to have Robert joining us. Robert went through a difficult period, with a lot of confusion, but we support him, and through our medical team’s analysis we could not conclude any wrongdoing. He has been cleared to race in the professional peloton again, and is a talented rider who we think has great potential,” Miholjevič said.
