- published: 02 Aug 2010
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Julian Dean (born 28 January 1975) is a former professional road racing cyclist from New Zealand who competed as a professional between 1999 and 2013. He last rode for UCI World Tour team Orica–GreenEDGE, where he now works as an assistant sporting director and mentor. His main achievements include winning the 2007 and 2008 New Zealand National Road Race Championships, finishing 9th in the 2005 World Road Championships in Madrid, and 10th place in the 2002 World Road Championships in Zolder. At the peak of his career he was considered the best lead out rider in the world, and was highly regarded by his team mate and friend Thor Hushovd.
Born in Waihi, New Zealand, Dean is the son of Waimata dairy farmers Peter and Valerie Dean. "Grasshopper", as he was locally known, started cycling when he was just a child, beginning at the local BMX club in, where he had success with two 3rd-place finishes in the New Zealand Championships. Dean tried his hand at many sports before moving onto triathlon, which he enjoyed. From triathlon Dean fell in love with cycling, where he represented New Zealand in road and track disciplines. In 1997 Dean got his chance to race in the US with the Shaklee team and the Mercury cycling team in 1998.