Robert Stannard insists 'no evidence of wrongdoing' as he returns to cycling after anti-doping rule violation

Robert Stannard has signed for Bahrain Victorious with immediate effect after accepting a backdated four-year suspension for an anti-doping rule violation, it was announced this week.

The Australian will ride the Tour of Britain for his new team, after he was penalised by the UCI's Anti-Doping Tribunal for use of a prohibited substance or a prohibited method, due to unexplained abnormalities in his Biological Passport in 2018 and 2019. As well as the four-year suspension, he was fined 70% of his average annual salary in the years 2018 and 2019.

The Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) is an individual electronic record for each rider, in which the results of all doping tests are collected.

Stannard last rode for Alpecin-Deceuninck at last year's Tour de Wallonie, having spent all of 2022 with the Belgian team, before he was provisionally suspended. The 25-year-old also rode for what was then Mitchelton-Scott between 2018 and 2021, years that he was now officially suspended for.

"It's awesome to be able to ride my bike again, to be able to continue my cycling career," Stannard said in a Bahrain Victorious press release, sent out on Tuesday evening.

"I had to make a hard choice: accept the ruling and be able to do the sport I love again, or fight to clear my name. I believe I've made the wisest choice. I hope to be able to do both in the long run, but for now, I am seizing with both hands the opportunity to race again.

"I feel like I've got my life back, in a way. I can't wait to return to racing, and I'm so grateful to have been given this opportunity by Bahrain."

"Athletes with ABP violations have not returned positive blood or urine tests for anything," Stannard continued.

"They alleged that it could only have been caused by 'illegal means', but throughout the entire process, provided no evidence of any wrongdoing. No evidence of doping is collected or required for them to reach this judgment.

"I hope the Tribunal ruling will be published in the future, and then people will be able to read the details and make up their own minds. But it's certainly changed my perspective on things, on cycling, and life as a whole."

Vladimir Miholjevič, Bahrain Victorious' performance manager, said that the squad could not prove that doping had occurred.

"We are happy to have Robert joining us. Robert went through a difficult period, with a lot of confusion, but we support him, and through our medical teams' analysis we could not conclude any wrongdoing," Miholjevič said. 

"He has been cleared to race in the professional peloton again, and is a talented rider who we think has great potential."