"I look forward to filing my defence and am confident in being acquitted and continuing my career" - Robert Stannard staunchly denies doping allegations
Cycling
In some disappointing news in the world of cycling earlier today, Robert Stannard of Alpecin-Deceuninck was provisionally suspended by his team after allegations of doping from the UCI. Quickly, the Australian has begun to launch his defence.
“I have been notified by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) that it believes I committed an anti-doping rule violation more than four years ago," begins the 24-year-old in a statement made following the revelation of two incidents the UCI have highlighted from his time at Mitchelton-Scott in 2018 and 2019.
"I have never deliberately or knowingly used a prohibited substance and will therefore ask that my case be referred to the UCI Anti-Doping Tribunal," continues the former general classification winner at the Tour de Wallonie.
"I look forward to filing my defense and am confident in being acquitted and continuing my career. I will respect the confidentiality of the proceedings and will therefore not comment further," Stannard concludes.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- Congrats! It is done so now is time for CX.averagecyclist15-11-2026
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- mij, I am not so sure of that. I have been on a spine ward at a Denver hospital that had quite a few spinal injuries from mountain biking.BDBigGuy15-11-2026
- Pogi takes care of his teammates in races and training. Tadej Pogačar is widely praised within the cycling peloton for his fair and egalitarian leadership, actively supporting his UAE teammates both on the road during races and behind the scenes at training camps. Rather than acting like an untouchable superstar, he has intense team loyalty by sharing daily chores, giving up personal glory to help domestiques, and publicly praising their sacrifices. Unlike some Grand Tour contenders, like Vingegaard, who occasionally train away from their squads, Pogi consistently attends team training camps alongside his domestiques, making the exact same sacrifices to build friendship. I love how Pogačar shares his teammates-domestiques, either when they succeed or win in races or when they simply just do a good job for him. It has to be a great moral boost for them. And then they work even harder and go even deeper for Pogi. This is teamwork.PogiSloFans15-11-2026
- Yeah, what he said!Lozza15-11-2026
- I’m sure Jasper Philipsen would disagree with you.Lozza15-11-2026
- Article says he was “out for a spin around the town”, implying not off-road.Lozza15-11-2026
- let’s be honest, Alpecin is all about one rider - MVDP. I’m sure he gets whatever he needs, the rest get the scraps.mij15-11-2026
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- That'll be one crazy rider
Rafionain-Glas15-11-2026
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TEAM STATEMENT - Robert Stannard Alpecin-Deceuninck just took note of the fact that the Union Cycliste International (UCI) considers that Robert Stannard committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation, back in 2018 and 2019. Stannard joined the team on January 1st, 2022. ⤵️
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