Cycling: Dean chases special national jersey

National road cycling champion Julian Dean desperately wants to keep his black and white kiwi jersey.

The Rotorua rider will defend his New Zealand title at the national road championships in Hawkes Bay this weekend, with the winner entitled to wear the national jersey in European competition this year.

Dean, recovering from off-season surgery, knows it will be a tough assignment.

"I really want to win the title again so I can wear the New Zealand jersey in Europe.

"It's great for me, for our sport and our country," said Dean who received considerable media and public attention during the major cycling tours in Europe including the Tour of Italy and Tour de France.

"I think everyone really benefits and another year with it will really solidify us as a cycling nation in Europe.

" It is so distinctive and so many people in Europe know and identify with New Zealand. It was absolutely amazing.

"I am just a rider in a team but when I wore the New Zealand jersey as the national champion so many people commented or came up and spoke to me."

Dean moves this year from the French Credit Agricole team to the new Slipstream team, an American cycling organisation moving into Europe where he is expected to be the No 1 sprinter.

He knows he is not in his best form for the 182km, seven-lap race to be held on the Appleby Rd circuit west of Taradale on Sunday.

He underwent knee surgery in September and only got back on his bike in late November.

Dean comes up against the best in the country including several other European based professionals including Waikato's Tim Gudsell who rides for Francaise des Jeux and Belgium-based Glen Chadwick who is with Team Type 1, from the United States.

Athens Olympians Robin Reid (Marlborough) and Heath Blackgrove (Canterbury) will add to the mix along with former world junior champion Jeremy Yates (Hawke Bay) who took out the national club title and recently won the Tour de Vineyards in Nelson.

Other prominent Kiwi riders include Jeremy Vennell, who rides for US team Bissell Pro Cycling Team, Gordon McCauley (Auckland), Aaron Strong (Auckland) and former national mountainbike national champion Stuart Houltham (Wellington) .

"It's a really strong field," Dean said.

"And as a one-off race it is difficult and you cannot always control the outcomes. All I can hope for is to do a good race and hope it's good enough.' '

The women's honours are doubly important as they still carry all-important International Cycling Union qualifying points to qualify New Zealand for Beijing.

Currently, New Zealand are ranked 12th and need to stay in the top 16 to earn spots for three riders for the Olympics .

Canterbury's Rosara Joseph will be chasing her first national title. The Melbourne Commonwealth Games mountainbike silver medallist impressed with her showing at October's world road championships .

Leading road rider Joanne Kiesanowski (Christchurch) is absent, as she is in America preparing f or third round of track World Cup in Los Angeles .

Joseph will come up against national representatives Toni Bradshaw (Auckland), Tour de Vineyards winner Serena Sheridan (Nelson/Marlborough), Auckland's Amy Mosen, world junior track medallist Lauren Ellis (Mid Canterbury) and Wellington's Rachel Mercer, who was sixth at the world junior road championships .

Former Commonwealth Games medallist, Susy Pryde, who retired from international competition and has been a national coach for BikeNZ, has also entered for the race .

The championships begin with the time trial on Friday and the road race on Sunday.

The women race lasts 104km and the men 182km.

- NZPA