Former Ineos Grenadiers rider Ian Stannard will become Trinity Racing's Direction Sportif.

Stannard, 33, retired as a professional cycling rider at the end of 2020 after a long career that included back-to-back wins at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and third place at Paris-Roubaix. Stannard was also a member of three of Chris Froome's Tour de France winning teams and a former client of the Trinity Sports Management rider agency.

The British team was led by Tom Pidcock until the end of January, and like its former leader, the team will maintain its multi-discipline approach to road, mountain bike, and gravel next season and will be promoted to the continental ranks.

"I have been extremely impressed with the progress Trinity Racing has made since the team's inception in 2018," Stannard said in an announcement posted on Instagram.

"They have quickly become one of Europe's leading development teams and I look forward to starting my new role for next season. Of course, road is where I excel the most and they have an impressive roster of riders like Ben (Healy) and Thomas (Grogg) who I am confident will be able to build on the success they showed last year in the world's biggest U23 race. However, he is also very much looking forward to participating in the other sections on the TRINITY calendar, especially gravel and MTB. As a long-time World Tour pro, I've only enjoyed mountain biking a little bit in the winter, but I've seen how the off-road side of the sport has grown and how riders are benefiting from mixing disciplines these days. [My goal is to use my experience and knowledge to help young talent become better riders and get results where they want them.

Stannard was forced to retire due to rheumatoid arthritis, but said at the time that he was still competitive and motivated to succeed. Team manager Andrew McQuaid hopes that Stannard's dedication and experience will bring a new dimension to the team in the future.

"I have worked with Ian for over 10 years as a client of Trinity Sports Management. Ian is passionate, knowledgeable, hardworking, and has a genuine desire to pass on what he has learned to the next generation."