Former Alpecin-Deceuninck rider puts dark cloud of doping in the past: "I'm mainly looking ahead now and am grateful I can race again"

Cast your mind back to 2022, when Robert Stannard made the move from Mitchelton-Scott to Alpecin-Deceuninck. At the time, the Australian was seen as a rising star in the peloton.

However, midway through 2023, news broke of a potential anti-doping violation dating back to 2018. On 3 August 2023, Stannard was provisionally suspended and was subsequently unable to compete in the road race at the 2023 UCI Road World Championships.

Now 26, Stannard has returned to the front of the action, most recently at last Sunday’s Amstel Gold Race. He now rides for Bahrain - Victorious and has slowly been building back form throughout the season.

IDL Pro Cycling recently caught up with him. "I'm super happy here and enjoying the racing," he said. "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."

Following a domestic campaign in Australia and the Opening Weekend, Stannard lined up at several key races in March including Strade Bianche, Tirreno-Adriatico, Milan-Sanremo, E3 Saxo Bank Classic, and Gent-Wevelgem. He did not finish Dwars door Vlaanderen, but went on to compete in the Itzulia Basque Country.

"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."

Despite the challenges of the past year, Stannard insists he is focused on the future. "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."