Ian Dexter Stannard (born 25 May 1987) is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

former professional

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

and

road racing cyclist Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The two most common ...

, who rode professionally between 2008 and 2020 for the , and teams, before retiring after being diagnosed with

rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects joints. It typically results in warm, swollen, and painful joints. Pain and stiffness often worsen following rest. Most commonly, the wrist and hands are involv ...

. He now works as a

directeur sportif A ''directeur sportif'' (French for sporting director, although the original French term is often used in English-language media; plural ''directeurs sportifs'') is a person directing a cycling team during a road bicycle racing event. It is se ...

for UCI Continental team .

Career

Early career

Born in

Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Southend-on-Sea and Colchester. It is located north-east of London a ...

, Stannard initially focused on the road and track, winning a gold medal in the time trial at the

2004 Commonwealth Youth Games The 2004 Commonwealth Youth Games, officially known as the II Commonwealth Youth Games, and commonly known as Bendigo 2004, a regional sporting event that was held from 30 November to 3 December 2004 in Bendigo, Australia. They were the second C ...

, and a gold in the Under-23 Team Pursuit at the 2006 European Track Championships, alongside future Sky teammate

Geraint Thomas Geraint Howell Thomas, (; born 25 May 1986) is a Welsh professional racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam , Wales and Great Britain. He is one of the few riders in the modern era to achieve significant elite success as both a tra ...

. Stannard made his professional road debut in August 2007 joining as a trainee. He rode for in 2008 and came third overall in the

Tour of Britain The Tour of Britain is a multi-stage cycling race, conducted on British roads, in which participants race across Great Britain to complete the race in the fastest time. The event dates back to the first British stage races held just after the S ...

riding for the Great Britain team. In 2009 he joined the new team, and was selected to ride the Giro d'Italia, aged just 21. Stannard finished 160th at the Giro.

Team Sky (2010–2020)

2010

Stannard joined the new British Pro Tour team for the start of the 2010 season, and focused more on the

Classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

and one day races. He took a third place in freezing conditions in

Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne is an annual single-day road cycling race in Belgium. It is held one day after Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, on the last Sunday of February or the first of March, and completes the opening weekend of the Belgian cycling season ...

2011

Stannard almost took victory in

Gent–Wevelgem Gent–Wevelgem, officially Gent–Wevelgem – In Flanders Fields, is a road cycling race in Belgium, held annually since 1934. It is one of the classic races part of the Flemish Cycling Week, run in late March on the last Sunday before the To ...

, after breaking away on the final climb, the Monteberg. He was part of a move with

Peter Sagan Peter Sagan (; born 26 January 1990) is a Slovak professional road bicycle racer who currently rides for UCI ProTeam . Sagan had a successful junior cyclo-cross and mountain bike racing career, winning the junior cross-country race at the 2008 ...

Maciej Bodnar Maciej Bodnar (born 7 March 1985, in Oława) is a Polish professional road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI ProTeam . He is the brother of fellow racing cyclist Łukasz Bodnar. Bodnar has been a team-mate of Peter Sagan throughout Sag ...

(both from ) and Sylvain Chavanel () with to cover until the finish. The quartet kept clear of the chasing peloton until Stannard broke free of the break and crossed the ''flamme rouge'' alone. He was passed by the field with some to go, as

Tom Boonen Tom Boonen (; born 15 October 1980) is a Belgian former road bicycle racer, who competed as a professional between 2002 and 2017 for the and teams and a professional racing driver who currently competes in Belcar, having previously competed in ...

sprinted to victory. He obtained his first professional win at the

Tour of Austria The Tour of Austria (german: Internationale Österreich Rundfahrt) is a stage cycling race held in Austria. From 1949 to 1995 it was a race for amateur cyclists, turning into a professional event in 1996. In 2005 and 2006 it was organised as a 2 ...

, winning stage 5 of the race, where he got the better of a group of five escapees in the sprint. Stannard was part of the

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

team that helped

Mark Cavendish Mark Simon Cavendish (born 21 May 1985) is a Manx professional road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . As a track cyclist he specialises in the madison, points race, and scratch race disciplines; as a road racer he is a ...

win the road race at the

UCI Road World Championships The UCI Road World Championships are the annual world championships for bicycle road racing organized by the (UCI). The UCI Road World Championships consist of events for road race and individual time trial, and a mixed team relay. Events ...

, with a vital pull in the closing stages to keep Cavendish towards the front of the peloton. One of the hardest working domestiques in the peloton, Stannard rode a total of during 93 race days in 2011.

2012

In 2012, Stannard won the London Nocturne by lapping the field. He also won the

British National Road Race Championships The British National Road Race Championships cover different categories of British road bicycle racing events, normally held annually. History Between 1943 and 1958, two separate bodies – the British League of Racing Cyclists (BLRC) and t ...

, winning ahead of Sky teammate

Alex Dowsett Alex Edward Albert Dowsett (born 3 October 1988) is a former British professional road racing cyclist, who rode for UCI WorldTeam . He was a time trial specialist, and in 2015, he broke track cycling's world hour record by , with a distance of ...

. Stannard was selected to race on the British Olympic Road Race Team for 2012, alongside

David Millar David Millar (born 4 January 1977) is a Scottish retired professional road racing cyclist. He rode for Cofidis from 1997 to 2004 and Garmin-Sharp from 2008 to 2014. He has won four stages of the Tour de France, five of the Vuelta a España an ...

Chris Froome Christopher Clive Froome ɹɪs fɹuːm (born 20 May 1985) is a Kenyan/British Road bicycle racing, road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He has won seven Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours: four editions of the Tour de ...

Bradley Wiggins Sir Bradley Marc Wiggins, CBE (born 28 April 1980) is a British former professional road and track racing cyclist, who competed professionally between 2001 and 2016. He began his cycling career on the track, but later made the transition to r ...

and Mark Cavendish. The team aimed to lead Cavendish to a sprint victory on The Mall. Despite the best efforts of Stannard, Team GB were unable to pull back a large breakaway group on the run in to London, with the gold medal going to Alexander Vinokourov. Stannard again represented Britain at the UCI World Road Race Championships and was active in a breakaway with

Andrew Talansky Andrew Talansky (born November 23, 1988) is an American triathlete. Between 2011 and 2017, he competed for on the UCI World Tour, cycling's highest road racing category. Born in Manhattan, New York City, New York, Talansky was raised in Key B ...

on the penultimate lap, eventually finishing in the main group.

2013

Stannard put in an impressive performance in freezing conditions at

Milan–San Remo Milan–San Remo (in Italian ''Milano-Sanremo''), also called "''The Spring classic''" or "''La Classicissima''", is an annual road cycling race between Milan and Sanremo, in Northwest Italy. With a distance of 298 km (~185.2 miles) it is t ...

, initially riding on the front of the race in support of

, then attacking with Sylvain Chavanel after Thomas crashed. Stannard led over the Poggio, only to be caught on the descent by a chase group of five riders. Stannard made a final move in the final two kilometres but was chased down by

, and he finished sixth in the sprint. Stannard was selected to ride the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

for the first time in 2013, and played a key role as a domestique for Chris Froome, who went on to win the race overall.

2014

Stannard began 2014 in good form, finishing fourth overall in the

Tour of Qatar The Tour of Qatar was an annual professional cycling stage race held in Qatar. First organized in 2002, the event was part of the UCI Asia Tour until 2016. The 2017 edition was to have seen the event upgraded to the UCI World Tour for the firs ...

in February. Stannard won

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, previously Omloop Het Volk, is a one-day road cycling race in Belgium, held annually in late February. It is the opening event of the Belgian cycling season, as well as the first race of the year in Northwestern Europe, and ...

– the opening race of the

Flanders Classics Flanders Classics is an official cooperation among the organizers of the classic cycle races held in Flanders. It was founded in 2009

– after he out-sprinted his breakaway companion

Greg Van Avermaet Greg Van Avermaet (born 17 May 1985) is a Belgian professional cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Considered one of the most versatile riders of modern cycling, Van Avermaet is a specialist of the classic cycle races, but has also ...

. In the process, Stannard became the first British rider to win the race. In

, Stannard crashed heavily into a roadside ditch and was taken to hospital. He was diagnosed with fractured

vertebra The spinal column, a defining synapomorphy shared by nearly all vertebrates,Hagfish are believed to have secondarily lost their spinal column is a moderately flexible series of vertebrae (singular vertebra), each constituting a characteristic ...

e, ruling him out of the rest of the classics season. Stannard made his comeback to the road, riding for the English team in the men's road race event at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. A clearly uncomfortable Stannard withdrew early on in the race, which took place in treacherous rainy conditions – only 12 riders finished out of 140 starters – and which was eventually won by his Team Sky teammate

. Stannard attempted another comeback, riding for Team Sky in the RideLondon–Surrey Classic. Stannard was noted for his hard work in successfully placing teammate

Ben Swift Benjamin Ian Swift (born 5 November 1987) is a British professional track and road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Swift won the scratch race at the 2012 UCI Track Cycling World Championships and the men's elite road ...

in the eventually victorious breakaway group. Stannard was selected to ride the

, but broke his wrist in a crash on the first stage, putting an end to an injury plagued season.

2015

Stannard recovered from his injuries for the start of the 2015 season, again placing fourth in the

. On 28 February, Stannard won

, defending his 2014 title. He defeated

Niki Terpstra Niki Terpstra (; born 18 May 1984) is a Dutch racing cyclist, who rides for UCI ProTeam . He is the brother of fellow racing cyclist Mike Terpstra. He is the third Dutch cyclist to have won both of the cobbled Monument spring classics, Paris–R ...

in a two-man sprint, after spending the final in a four-man group with a triumvirate of Terpstra,

and

Stijn Vandenbergh Stijn Vandenbergh (born 25 April 1984) is a Belgian former professional road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2007 and 2020 for the , , and teams. Born in Oudenaarde, Vandenbergh, as a first year professional, won the first sta ...

. He also fended off attacks by Boonen and Terpstra in the closing stages of the race.

2016

In an interview in January 2016 Stannard confirmed that he would not be competing in

in 2016, having previously appeared in the opening double header of the Belgian classics season in every year since 2010 and forgoing the opportunity to win the Omloop for the third year running, in order to focus on peaking for the

Flemish Cycling Week The Flemish Cycling Week (Dutch:''Vlaamse Wielerweek'') or simply Flemish Week, is a series of five road cycling races held in Flanders in late March and early April. The series span in fact two weeks. It begins with Dwars door Vlaanderen (until ...

. He also explained that his preparation for the spring classics would include debut appearances at the

Volta ao Algarve The Volta ao Algarve (Portuguese; en, Tour of the Algarve) is a road bicycle racing stage race held annually in the Algarve, Portugal. Since 2017, it has been organised as a 2.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour. The race became part of the new UCI ...

and

Paris–Nice Paris–Nice is a professional cycling stage race in France, held annually since 1933. Raced over eight days, the race usually starts with a prologue in the Paris region and ends with a final stage either in Nice or on the Col d'Èze overlookin ...

. Stannard finished third at

E3 Harelbeke E3 Saxo Bank Classic, previously known as E3 BinckBank Classic, E3 Harelbeke, Harelbeke–Antwerp–Harelbeke and E3-Prijs Vlaanderen, is an annual road cycling race in Flanders, Belgium. The race starts and finishes in Harelbeke, covering 203 kil ...

, leading a small group across the line behind his victorious teammate

Michał Kwiatkowski Michał Kwiatkowski ( , born 2 June 1990) is a Polish professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Kwiatkowski is seen as a strong all rounder, with good sprinting, time-trialling and climbing abilities allowing him ...

and

, who had broken away from the group earlier. He also finished on the podium at

Paris–Roubaix Paris–Roubaix is a one-day professional bicycle road race in northern France, starting north of Paris and finishing in Roubaix, at the border with Belgium. It is one of cycling's oldest races, and is one of the ' Monuments' or classics of th ...

, where he finished third in a sprint from a five-man group which had formed when Stannard animated the race with an attack on the cobbled section at

Camphin-en-Pévèle Camphin-en-Pévèle () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 648 communes of the Nord department of the French Republic. The communes coo ...

. Stannard was part of the

-winning team, regarded as Sky's key domestique on flat stages.

Major results

;2004 : 1st Gold medal blank

Time trial,

Commonwealth Youth Games The Commonwealth Youth Games (CYG) is an international multi-sport event organized by the Commonwealth Games Federation. The games were held in the years, mid-way between when the Commonwealth Games are held, until 2008. They continued to be held ...

: National Junior Road Championships ::1st MaillotReinoUnido

Time trial In many racing sports, an athlete (or occasionally a team of athletes) will compete in a time trial against the clock to secure the fastest time. The format of a time trial can vary, but usually follow a format where each athlete or team sets off at ...

::3rd Road race : 2nd

Paris–Roubaix Juniors Paris–Roubaix Juniors (or Le Pavé de Roubaix) is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in April in northern France for junior cyclists (aged 17 and 18) ahead of the senior Paris–Roubaix classic race. It is organised by the Vélo-Club d ...

;2005 : 1st MaillotReinoUnido

Points race, National Junior Track Championships : 1st Jersey yellow

Overall Tour du Pays de Vaud ::1st Stage 3 ( ITT) ;2006 : 1st UEC Champion Jersey

Team pursuit,

UEC European Track Championships The European Track Cycling Championships are a set of elite level competition events held annually for the various disciplines and distances in track cycling, exclusively for European cyclists, and regulated by the European Cycling Union (UEC ...

;2007 : 1st Clayton Velo Spring Classic : 1st Eddie Soens : 1st Milano-Busseto : 4th Overall

Thüringen Rundfahrt der U23 Thüringen Rundfahrt der U23 was a bicycle road race held annually in the German state of Thuringia. It was a stage race reserved to athletes under the age of 23. Since 2005, it was organized as a 2.2U event on the UCI Europe Tour. After the 201 ...

;2008 : 3rd Overall

;2009 : 1st Stage 1b ( TTT)

Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali The Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali ( en, International Week of Coppi and Bartali), also known as Coppi e Bartali, is an Italian cycle road race. It is run typically in late March over five days in the Emilia-Romagna region of Ital ...

;2010 : 1st Stage 1 ( TTT)

: 3rd Road race, National Road Championships : 3rd

;2011 : 1st Stage 5

: 4th Road race, National Road Championships : 4th Paris–Tours ;2012 : 1st MaillotReinoUnido

Road race, National Road Championships : 1st London Nocturne ;2013 : 2nd Road race, National Road Championships : 6th

: 7th Overall

: 8th Overall Bayern–Rundfahrt : 9th

Dwars door Vlaanderen Dwars door Vlaanderen ''( en, Across Flanders)'' is a semi-classic road bicycle race in Belgium, held annually since 1945. The race starts in Roeselare and finishes in Waregem, both in West Flanders. Since 2017 the event is included in the UCI ...

;2014 : 1st

: 4th Overall

;2015 : 1st

: 1st Stage 1 ( TTT)

Tour de Romandie The Tour de Romandie is a stage race which is part of the UCI World Tour. It runs through the Romandie region, or French-speaking part of Switzerland. The competition began in 1947, to coincide with the 50-year anniversary of Swiss Cycling. I ...

: 3rd Road race, National Road Championships : 4th Overall

;2016 : 1st Stage 3

: 3rd

;2017 : 1st Stage 4

Herald Sun Tour The Herald Sun Tour is an Australian professional bicycle race held in Melbourne and provincial Victoria, sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). The first tour was held in October 1952 as a six-day event. It is now held annually ...

;2018 : 1st Stage 7

;2019 : 2nd Road race, National Road Championships

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

Classics results timeline

References

External links

*
Ian Stannard
at Team Sky * * * *

at Cycling Base {{DEFAULTSORT:Stannard, Ian British male cyclists English male cyclists English track cyclists 1987 births Living people Commonwealth Games competitors for England Cyclists at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Cyclists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Cyclists at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic cyclists of Great Britain Sportspeople from Chelmsford British cycling road race champions Cyclists at the 2014 Commonwealth Games