Julian Dean to lead young Kiwi Olympic test team

Dean to lead the NZ team at the Olympic test event ©RoadCycling.co.nz

The Garmin Cervelo pro rider will head a group of young Kiwi riders to contest the London-Surrey Cycle Classic this weekend - the test event on the Olympic course.

BikeNZ Road Director Sportif Andy Reid said it had been challenging to organise a team to support Dean - who has indicated he wants to ride the real Olympic event - with many of the leading candidates busy racing for their pro-teams.

The New Zealand team to support Dean is the in-form Clinton Avery and young riders Tom Findlay, Jason Christie and Tom David.

"Julian has just enjoyed probably his most successful Tour de France with his team winning four stages, him being part of the team time trial victory and they were also the top team at the tour," Reid said.

"He is a world class rider with such experience and is well suited to the London circuit."

"We needed to build a team around Julian and for these guys it will also be a fantastic experience." 

Dean will use the race as build-up to the UCI World Road Championships to be staged in Copenhagen next month.

"The test event provides an opportunity for us to take a close look at the course under race conditions and, even though it's a shorter race than the Olympic race will be, it is the only chance our coaches and staff will have to properly look at the course in race conditions," said Reid.

NZ team to support Dean

• Avery (Rotorua) has been in stunning recent form for his Quick Step development team based in Belgium. He won the Internatie Reningelst 1.2 category race in Belgium two weeks ago. This followed a win in the Two Days of Ledegem race in Belgium and victory in the opening stage of a race in Brittany.
• Findlay (Manawatu), the 2010 NZ U23 Road Champion, is currently racing professionally in France for UVCA Troyes and recently joined the BikeNZ team for the U23 Nations Cup.
• Christie (Ashburton) has been based in Belgium with the BikeNZ endurance track team and enjoyed a number of successes in kermasse racing.
• David (Auckland), 21, has also been racing in Europe this season, and is currently competing in the Tour de la Province de Namur in Belgium for the USC Crabbe Performance team.