Early Days
Julian Dean was born in 1975 in Waihi, a small community on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. He grew up on a family dairy farm and had his first introduction to cycling when, along with his brothers, he joined the local Waihi BMX club and began competing nationally. Over the next five years he gained two third-place NZ rankings and an early introduction to the sport of bike racing.
During his teenage years Dean got involved in the relatively new sport of triathlon. It was not long before he gave up triathlon to pursue cycle racing, both on the road, and on the track. In his final year of high school he was selected for the New Zealand Junior Road Cycling Team. This was the start of his international cycling career which went on to include World Championships, Commonwealth Games and Olympic Games.
Professional Cycling
Dean got his first break as a cycling professional in the United States in 1997. Over the years that followed he rode for a number of Pro Tour teams in Europe, later specialising as a lead-out sprinter, labelled by Tour de France green jersey holder Thor Hushovd as the best in the world.
Dean enjoyed 20 Grand Tours, including an outstanding 2009 season when he was the only rider to complete all three. He competed in four Olympics and one Commonwealth Games, winning a medal on the track in the team pursuit in Victoria in 1994.
Dean's career highlights comprised seven Tours de France, including a stage win in 2011 and three podium stage finishes in 2010, a stage win in 2008 Giro, twice top-10 at the world championships and 15th in the Athens Olympic road race.
Dean retired from professional racing in 2012, but remains involved in the sport.