Dean riding into the sunset
The curtain will be drawn on the distinguished career of New Zealand’s most successful cyclist, Julian Dean, in Christchurch in two weeks.
Dean, 38 next month,is retiring from the sport after 17 years as a professional, the past 14 years as a Pro Tour cyclist riding for some of the sport’s biggest teams.
His career embraces 20 Grand Tours ( Giro d’Italia, Tour de France, Vuelta a Espana), including two stage wins, more than 12 top-10 finishes on the Tour de France and a reputation as the best lead-out sprinter in the business.
Dean will take up a career off the bike with his Orica Green-EDGE team, in a new role as an assistant sporting director and mentor.
His final race will be the Calder Stewart national road championships in Christchurch on January 13, a title he has won twice.
Dean said that while he had always planned to retire after 2012, he had considered one further year because his final season was thwarted by injury, breaking his leg in the Volta Ciclista Catalunya in his first ride back from a broken shoulder.
‘‘It is not the way I had envisaged finishing my career.
‘‘I thought hard about another season.
‘‘Green Edge were great to offer me another chance to ride but it is the right time, and the team has an opportunity to begin a new career in team management.
‘‘I’ve had a great career in this sport. It’s given me so much and given my wife, Carole, and our boys a tremendous opportunity to experience life in Europe.’’
Dean said he has been honoured to have been at the vanguard in the growing popularity in the sport in this country.
‘‘When I first started, you never saw the Tour de France, even on television news here. Now you can watch every stage live,’’ he said.
Dean got his first break in the United States 1997 and during the next 15 years rode for several Pro Tour teams in Europe, later specialising as a lead-out sprinter, labelled by Tour de France green jersey holder Thor Hushovd as the best in the world.
He enjoyed 20 Grand Tours, including an outstanding 2009 season when he was the only rider to complete all three Grand Tours.
He competed in four Olympics and one Commonwealth Games, winning a medal on the track in the team pursuit in Victoria in 1994.
Dean’s career highlights comprised seven Tours de France, including a stage win in 2011 and three podium stage finishes in 2010, a stage win in 2008 Giro, twice in the top 10 at the world championships and 15th in the Athens Olympic road race.
Dean is also known as a tough man, suffering several major injuries throughout his career including broken leg in 2002 and 2012, major elbow reconstruction in 2005 before recovering to finish in the top 10 at the world championships.
There was also the freak incident in 2009, when he and Spain’s Oscar Freire were shot by an air rifle during the Tour de France.
He managed to complete the remaining 10 days despite having the slug nestled deeply within the massively swollen tip of his index finger.
BikeNZ chief executive Kieran Turner said Dean has led the way for New Zealand cyclists.
‘‘Julian has been a trailblazer for New Zealand road riders on the world scene and for many years was our only Pro Tour rider in the likes of the Tour de France.
‘‘He has paved the way for others to follow and that we had a record seven Kiwi riders on the World Pro Tour this year was in part down to the high regard in which Julian is held both on and off the bike around the world.
Dean competes in the Jayco Herald Sun Tour in Melbourne next week as a build up to the national championships in Christchurch before returning to Spain to begin his new life off the bike.