Ian Stannard

2010

Stannard joined the new British Pro Tour team Team Sky for the start of the 2010 season, and has since focused more on the Classics and one day races. He took a third place in freezing conditions in Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne.^[5]

2011

Stannard almost took victory in the 2011 Gent–Wevelgem, after breaking away on the final climb, the Monteberg. He was part of a move with Peter Sagan, Maciej Bodnar (both from Liquigas–Cannondale) and Sylvain Chavanel (Quick-Step) with 34 kilometres (21 mi) 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 a raging bunch with some 500 metres (1,600 ft) to go, as Tom Boonen sprinted to victory.^[6] He obtained his first professional win at the 2011 Tour of Austria, winning stage 5 of the race, where he got the better of a group of five escapees in the sprint.^[7]

Stannard was part of the Great Britain team that helped Mark Cavendish win the 2011 UCI World Road Race Championship, with a vital pull in the closing stages to keep Cavendish towards the front of the peloton. Stannard is well known for being one of the hardest working domestiques in the peloton, riding a total of 14,713 racing kilometres and 93 race days in 2011.

2012

In 2012, Stannard was the winner of the British National Road Race Championships.

In 2012, Stannard won the London Nocturne by lapping the field. He also became the British National Road Race Champion, winning ahead of Sky teammate Alex Dowsett. Stannard was selected to race on the British Olympic Road Race Team for 2012, alongside David Millar, Chris Froome, Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish.^[8] 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 on the penultimate lap, eventually finishing in the main group.

2013

Stannard wearing his British national champion's jersey, riding on the Paterberg in the 2013 E3 Harelbeke

Stannard put in an impressive performance in freezing conditions at the 2013 Milan – San Remo, initially riding on the front of the race in support of Geraint Thomas, 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 Peter Sagan, and he finished sixth in the sprint.^[1] Stannard was selected to ride the Tour de France 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 in February. Stannard won Omloop Het Nieuwsblad  – the opening race of the Flanders Classics – after he out-sprinted his breakaway companion Greg Van Avermaet.^[9] In the process, Stannard became the first British rider to win the race.^[10] In Gent-Wevelgem, Stannard crashed heavily into a roadside ditch and was taken to hospital.^[11] He was diagnosed with fractured vertebrae, ruling him out of the rest of the classics season.^[12]

Stannard made his comeback to the road riding for the English team in the men's road race event at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. 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 Geraint Thomas. Stannard attempted another comeback, riding for Team Sky in the 2014 RideLondon–Surrey Classic. Stannard was noted for his hard work in successfully placing teammate Ben Swift in the eventually victorious breakaway group.^[13] Stannard was selected to ride the Tour of Britain, but broke his wrist in a crash on the first stage, putting an end to an injury plagued season.^[14]

2015

Stannard on the podium at the 2015 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, where he defeated Etixx-Quick Step teammates Niki Terpstra (left) and Tom Boonen (right)

Stannard recovered from his injuries for the start of the 2015 season, again placing fourth in the Tour of Qatar. On 28 February, Stannard won the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, defending his 2014 title. He defeated Niki Terpstra in a two-man sprint, after spending the final 40 km in a four-man group with Terpstra's Etixx-Quick Step teammates Tom Boonen and Stijn Vandenbergh, and fending off attacks by Boonen and Terpstra in the closing stages of the race.^[15]

2016

Stannard (far right) in the leading group at the 2016 Paris-Roubaix

In an interview in January 2016 Stannard confirmed that he would not be competing in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad or Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne 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. He also explained that his preparation for the spring classics would include debut appearances at the Volta ao Algarve and Paris–Nice.^[16] Stannard finished third at E3 Harelbeke, leading a small group across the line behind his victorious teammate Michał Kwiatkowski and Peter Sagan, who had broken away from the group earlier.^[17] He also finished on the podium at Paris–Roubaix, 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.^[18] In 2016 Stannard was part of the Tour De France winning team, regarded as Sky's key domestique on flat stages.