Ian Stannard will return to Ineos Grenadiers as a directeur sportif in 2023. The Briton spent eleven seasons as a rider with the team prior to his retirement in 2020.
Stannard, who has been a directeur sportif at Continental level with Trinity Racing for the past two years, had been heavily linked with a role at Ineos in recent months, and the team confirmed his appointment as a directeur sportif on Monday.
“It's very exciting to be coming back to the Ineos Grenadiers,” Stannard said. “I had two great years and a steep learning curve at Trinity Racing which I think puts me in a good place to be stepping into a DS role.”
Stannard, who twice won Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in Team Sky colours, worked with Ineos’ Ben Turner during his two-year spell at Trinity Racing.
“I’m looking forward to taking on new challenges with the team, which has some of the young riders I worked with at Trinity,” Stannard said.
“It’s been great to see the way the team is building for the future and that is something I’m looking forward to being part of. It will be fun to be back working with some of my old teammates as well.”
Ineos has undertaken an overhaul of its management staff ahead of the 2023 season, with Servais Knaven, Gabriel Rasch and Brett Lancaster all departing. Rasch has joined the Uno-X team while Knaven is expected to work with the women's AG Insurance-NXTG team which is owned and managed by his wife Natascha Knaven-Den Ouden.
As well as confirming Stannard’s arrival on Monday, Ineos also announced that Dutch coach Dajo Sanders has joined from Team DSM. Sanders previously worked with Dimension Data before beginning as a trainer with Team DSM ahead of the 2020 season.
“Dajo will be an invaluable addition to our coaching team. He is highly experienced and comes with a unique mix of academic knowledge, personal racing experience and practical coaching insights," said Ineos Grenadiers team manager Rod Ellingworth, who also welcomed Stannard’s return to the fold.
“It felt like it would only be a matter of time before Ian came back to work with us again. He has a wealth of knowledge to pass on, especially when I think about our Spring Classics and Grand Tour teams. I’m looking forward to working with him and sharing time on the road with him again. If there’s anyone who embodies our ‘all in’ racing spirit, it’s Ian.”
