Ian Stannard signs contract extension with Team Sky

Ian Stannard has signed a three-year contract extension with Team Sky, the team announced on Wednesday. The 30-year-old has been part of the WorldTour squad since their debut season in 2010. 

“We get the best support in this team and we get looked after really well. The team listen to the riders and involve us in the decisions, and that’s really important in races like the Classics, which is where my goals lie," Stannard said in a statement released by his team.

“Obviously 2017 hasn’t gone how I wanted. The Classics were disappointing, really. I was hoping to do a lot better and then getting ill and missing out on the Tour wasn’t ideal.

“But I’ve had a nice bit of time off, I’m delighted to be at the Vuelta and I want to play my part here. It’s been a while since I did this race, but Froomey [ed. Chris Froome] has come here as the favourite so there’s a lot of responsibility on us."

While Stannard has endured a difficult 2017 campaign, and missed out on selection for the Tour de France, he has already turned part of his attention towards next season. Stannard made the podium in Paris-Roubaix in 2016 and has won Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Elite on two occasions but this year he washed out in the Classics due to illness and a lack of form. For 2018 Stannard will centre his Classics campaign around Paris-Roubaix.

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“I’m thinking about next year now and pulling all the pieces together for that. I’ll sit down with Rod [Ellingworth] and go through it - pick this season apart and put a plan in for next year. Paris-Roubaix is the one I really I want to win and I need to try and get that right.”
 

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