Cycling: Team orders mean Dean misses Games

Julian Dean will miss Melbourne to compete in Belgium and Italy. Picture / Rotorua Daily Post

New Zealand's top road cyclist, Julian Dean, cannot ride at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in March.

Dean, who finished ninth at the world championships in Spain in September, said yesterday his team, Credit Agricole, would not allow him to compete as the Games fell in between two big European races - the Tour of Flanders and the Milan-San Remo event.

While disappointed at not being able to compete for New Zealand, Dean is philosophical about missing the Games. "It is always good to ride for New Zealand, especially as it means so much to New Zealanders, and the Commonwealth Games is so good for the profile of the sport.

"But my goal is to achieve at the very top level and, in road cycling, that is the pro tour in Europe, and the Olympics."

BikeNZ high performance director Michael Flynn said the loss of Dean was as a major setback.

Dean ' would have been one of the leaders at the Games. "But I understand the responsibility of Julian to his pro team.

"He has a responsibility to his team and has always given New Zealand cycling 100 per cent. He has maintained contact with me during this period and has offered to help New Zealand athletes in other ways.

"In one way it means that another athlete or athletes will have to step up and take on the responsibility of leadership and I am sure we have athletes who are very keen to show New Zealand that they are the one," Flynn said.

Dean, who is based in Spain for most of the year, will compete in the Tour Downunder in Australia next month before heading back to Europe for the season.

He'll stay there until after the world championships in Austria in September.

- NZPA