Team Sky star ends time in the saddle
FORMER British champion Ian Stannard has been forced to retire from the professional cycling after being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.
The 33-year-old, pictured above, has spent the last decade with what is now the Ineos Grenadiers, having been a founding member of Team Sky back in 2010.
The Wilmslow-based rider ends his career with seven wins, including back-to-back victories at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in 2014 and 2015 and stages of the Tour of Britain in 2016 and 2018. The 2012 British road race champion also took a notable third place at Paris-Roubaix in 2016.
Stannard was first diagnosed with arthritis 12 months ago. He continued to race in 2020, starting his season in Australia in January prior to lockdown, but has appeared only once since the season resumed in late July– withdrawing from the Tour of Poland on stage four.
“It’s disappointing to have to stop like this but it is clearly the right decision for my health and my family,” Stannard said. “We have explored all of the options this year to deal with my condition, and the team has been there with me every step of the way.
“I started to hope that I could manage the problem during lockdown, but as soon as I returned to racing I knew that my body wouldn’t be able to perform at any level anymore.”
Stannard, who graduated from
British Cycling’s academy alongside the likes of Geraint Thomas, Mark Cavendish and Ben Swift, was valued as a powerful domestique when not riding for himself, and was part of three Tour de France winning teams.
Ineos Grenadiers team principal Sir Dave Brailsford said: “Ian is a rider who gives so much to the race and his team-mates and we all know that he always leaves it all out there on the road.
“He is one of the hardest, grittiest riders there is, whether racing hard on the cobbles of Belgium or pulling on the front at the Tour de France.
“He has been a core part of our team since day one and we will miss him, but he can look back proudly on a career that’s captured the true spirit of our sport and thrilled so many British cycling fans.”
■ Jasper Philipsen claimed victory in stage 15 of the Vuelta a Espana with a late uphill sprint finish.
The Belgian rider powered over the line ahead of Pascal Ackermann and Jannik Steimle to win the most gruelling stage of the race –a 230.8km climb from Mos to Puebla de Sanabria.
Philpsen, riding for UAE Team Emirates, completed the stage in six hours 22 minutes and 36 seconds to claim a first Grand Tour stage victory.
Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) maintained his position of overall race leader, going into the final three stages.