Dean lines up for Olympic road cycling test event

 Fresh from his outstanding exploits in the Tour de France, Julian Dean has put his hand up for next year’s 2012 Olympics in London.

 The Garmin Cervelo pro rider will head a group of young kiwi riders to contest the London-Surrey Cycle Classic this weekend, which is the test event on the course to be used for the Olympics next year.

 

BikeNZ Road Director Sportif, Andy Reid said they were delighted that Dean has indicated his interest in racing next year’s Olympics and to race in the test event on Sunday.

“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.”

Reid said it has been challenging to organise a team to support Dean for the test event, with many of the leading candidates already obligated to racing for their professional teams around the world.

The team includes the in-form Clinton Avery and young riders Tom Findlay, Jason Christie and Tom David.

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 under-23 national road champion, is currently racing professionally in France for UVCA Troyes and recently joined the BikeNZ team for the Under23 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.

“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 Championship 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.”

The London-Surrey Cycle Classic will start at The Mall in central London and take the riders around the streets, lanes and hills of a course that weaves its way through the capital to the historic Hampton Court Palace. The race heads out into the rolling countryside, ancient woodland and picturesque villages of Surrey. Two zigzag circuits around Box Hill will test peloton before they head back into London and a finish at The Mall with Buckingham Palace as a backdrop.