Julian Dean: Back on the road to London

Rotorua professional cyclist Julian Dean says he will continue his quest for a fifth Olympics.

Speaking to The Daily Post from his home in Spain, Dean said he was working hard to recuperate from a broken leg after crashing while racing for his pro team GreenEdge in the Tour of Catalunya in March.

Dean said his recovery was progressing well.

"It's coming along much faster than anyone expected really," the 37-year-old said.

"Up until [Sunday], I was still walking around on the crutches and I went and saw the orthopaedic surgeon for a check up and he said I'm basically free to get rid of the crutches as soon as I feel comfortable.

"So already I can get around the house without them but if I have to go for a further distance, I'd prefer to have one crutch with me for security. It's been good, I've been working hard as well on the bike and all those sorts of things."

It's not the first time the veteran of 14 pro seasons has had to fight his way back from injury.

In Catalunya, Dean had just returned to racing after breaking his shoulder in a training accident in Australia in December.

While recovery was often a long and intensive process, Dean said he was confident he would be 100 per cent fit for the Olympics.

"To me the bottom line is [that] it's a lot of work - it's more work doing rehabilitation than it is training and preparing for a competition when you are 100 per cent healthy. You've got to work at it all the time, if you want to make a prompt full recovery. For me that's the secret."

Speculation about Dean's chances of making a fifth Olympics took a dip last month when it was reported Bike NZ performance director Mark Elliot said Dean's bid was in jeopardy if he didn't make this year's Tour de France. It was reported Elliot said preference would be given to New Zealand riders competing in the tour.

Elliot told The Daily Post his comments were taken out of context and the Tour de France was not an absolute requirement for Dean, or any another rider Bike NZ was considering for the games.

 

"You don't know whether the other guys who are also in the hunt [will] get a chance to compete [in the Tour de France] either."

Elliot said he was aware of Dean's plans and wasn't counting him out.

"You never discount [Dean]. The fact that he has indicated he's back doing what he is doing and he has two plans going forward," Elliot said.

"But you can't look at that in isolation of Greg Henderson or Jack Bauer or Hayden Roulston, who are the other three who are in the hunt."

Dean said he wasn't worrying about what was being said and was totally focused on being ready for firstly the Tour de France - for which he rated himself "a long shot" - and then the Olympics if he's selected.

"I'm working hard now because I want to have a chance at making the Tour de France, that's my first objective.

"The bottom line with anything, if you're a dedicated professional athlete - especially in my situation, recovering from the injury - you're thinking about what's down the road; the Tour de France, the Olympic games and those sorts of things," Dean said.

"But when you're recovering from injury the battle is the day to day battle. It's not really getting hyped up or demoralised about what some official in Bike NZ is saying for a race that is two months down the track. I've got enough of my own daily battles to deal with.

"If you start looking too far down the track, most of these things are out of your control. What you can control is your daily activities; your rehabilitation, your rest, your diet and everything like that. You can control [those things] immediately to contribute to the bigger picture, one month and two months down the road."

The Tour de France runs from June 30 to July 22 with the Olympics road race on August 1.

Dean said if he didn't make the team for France he still had a plan which would have him 100 per cent fit for the Olympics. He would look to do altitude training in France, compete in the Tour of Poland from July 10-16, then more altitude training prior to the Olympics.

The father of two said he had been in contact with Bike NZ performance programme manager Andy Reid about his situation and his training and had not lost hope of making the Olympic team.

"Whatever happens, whatever they choose to do is really out of my control. My primary focus now is trying to get ready for the Tour de France - it's gonna be a bit of a long shot, but I want to give it a crack and if I don't make the Tour de France, I've already formulated a second plan."