Cycling: Dean withdraws from Tour of Spain

Leading New Zealand road cyclist Julian Dean has withdrawn from the Tour of Spain to prepare for the world road race championships in Madrid later this month.


Dean, 30, finished a credible seventh in the 12th stage four days ago in a mass finish, but the Olympian, who has suffered a host of serious injuries this year, failed to finish the 15th stage on Sunday and withdrew yesterday.


France-based BikeNZ road coach Jacques Landry said the Credit Agricole rider pulled out to concentrate on improving his conditioning ahead of the world championships on September 25.

"He feels his form is adequate right now for the worlds which are his primary objective for the season, but he wants to continue his final conditioning in a more controlled environment," Landry said today.

In conjunction with his trainer and his team, Dean will spend the next fortnight recovering then concentrating on long endurance rides.

"He's done the first part of the Vuelta (Tour of Spain) to get a certain form that could get him through the racing," Landry said.

"But if he completed the tour it probably would have cooked him for the worlds."

Landry confirmed it was Dean's decision, and he backed the move.

The New Zealand coach said Dean was not suffering any complications from his injuries.

The Valencia-based rider missed the Tour de France after spending eight weeks recovering from an accident in the Giro d'Italia on May 13 which left his right elbow shattered.

The Rotorua cyclist spent six weeks with his arm in a cast having had eight screws and three plates inserted.

Last month Dean returned to action by completing the Tour of Benelux and Tour d'Limousin.

"It took him longer then he originally anticipated to recover and it's been a set back, but he knows how to deal with it."

Landry felt Dean's decision would benefit the New Zealand team which also included 2004 world 15km scratch race champion Greg Henderson and Heath Blackgrove.

"Things are going as well as we could possibly imagine," Landry said when asked about the teams' preparation.

"Greg has been racing really well. Heath has been racing well in Europe in smaller races and proven that he's a good support rider which is what he'll doing."

"If the bunch is reduced to 30 riders, we'll have a good chance."

- NZPA