A doping case involving Australian Robert Stannard that dates back to 2018 has finally reached a verdict, with the UCI announcing on Tuesday that the 25-year-old has been given a back-dated four-year suspension.
The UCI Anti-Doping Tribunal set the start date of Stannard's suspension at August 17, 2018, the date of the first abnormality detected in his Athlete Biological Passport (ABP), making the Australian eligible to compete again with immediate effect. He currently does not have a team after his contract with Alpecin-Deceuninck ended in 2023.
"The Tribunal found that Robert Stannard committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) of use of a prohibited substance or a prohibited method due to unexplained abnormalities in his Biological Passport in 2018 and 2019," a UCI press release stated.
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"As a consequence, the Tribunal has imposed a four-year period of suspension on the rider as well as a monetary fine corresponding to 70% of his average annual salary in 2018 and 2019."
Stannard raced with the Mitchelton-Scott Continental team in 2018 and then as a trainee for the WorldTour team. He won several races including a stage at the under-23 Giro d'Italia and the under-23 Il Piccolo Lombardia.
He signed with the Mitchelton-Scott WorldTour team for 2019 and raced with them until 2021 before moving to Alpecin-Deceuninck. The news of his doping case emerged last August.
Stannard denied any wrongdoing but has not competed since the notification, stating, "I have never intentionally or knowingly used a prohibited substance and will therefore ask for my case to be referred to the UCI Anti-Doping Tribunal.
"I look forward to filing my defence and am confident of being exonerated and continuing my career."
