Cycling: The special moment for Dean

By TERRY MADDAFORD

A couple of hours after savouring the thrill of reaching Paris and sprinting on the Champs-Elysees at the end of his first Tour de France, Julian Dean looked beyond the glitz and glamour to recount a special moment on his 20 gruelling days on the road.

Away from the wheel-to-wheel combat with the world's best, Dean recalled the most poignant moment of the Tour.

It was, he admitted, difficult to explain but showed the real meaning of the sport he so obviously loves.

"We were about 30 minutes behind the leaders on stage 13 in the Pyrenees on our way to Plateau de Bielle," Dean said. "Among our bunch of 36 riders, with 90 up the road ahead of us, was Iban Mayo.

"As a Spaniard riding the stage closest to the Spanish border he really wanted to do well. But he was having a difficult day.

"For him, being this far back was particularly hard. He pulled his hat down and had his sunglasses covering his face. He felt he had let his fans down. They did not see it that way.

"Their enthusiasm and passion for Iban in those circumstances was very humbling. I really felt for him.

"You quickly realise in a situation like that how everyone is feeling. Cycling has its own language. It can be very emotional.

"At that moment the huge crowds on the side of the road showed just what respect there is for cycling. It was a moving experience."

Mayo, sixth in last year's race, had gone into the stage in 34th place, but less than seven minutes behind Lance Armstrong in second. By the time he reached the stage finish he was 47th and more than 45 minutes out of the race lead. Two days later he quit.

Dean, encouraged by his first-up attempt, is already looking ahead.

Speaking to the Herald from Paris after yesterday's final stage in which he finished 12th, Dean confirmed he had re-signed earlier in the day with his French Credit Acricole team, hoping to ride again next year.

"The team is very happy with what we did," said Dean, who finished 127th and just over three hours behind six-time winner Armstrong. "Being a French team means there is some added pressure, but the management are happy with what we achieved."

Norwegian sprinter Thor Hushovd pushed Australian Robbie McEwen all the way for the (sprint ace) green jersey, eventually finishing second, a point ahead of one of cycling's great sprinters, Erik Zabel.

Credit Acricole team leader Christophe Moreau was fifth in the king of the mountains and 12th overall - and first Frenchman.

The team, down as low as 21st and last at one stage, finished eighth.

"There is no other sporting event in the world like the Tour de France," Dean said. "There is nothing like the prizemoney they have in golf or tennis, but a race like this means much more than money."

Asked whether he had ever considered calling it quits, Dean did not hesitate.

"This [the Tour] is too much of a big thing to ever think of quitting. I worked so hard for so long to ever think like that."

For a brief time early in the tour Hushovd wore the yellow tour leader's jersey - courtesy of a some good work from Dean. Not surprisingly, the New Zealander rated that as a highlight.

En route to Paris on yesterday's stage from Montereau, Dean rode alongside Armstrong and congratulated him.

Dean is giving himself a week to recover and will then switch his attention to a 260km World Cup race in Germany and beyond that training in Spain ahead of the Athens Olympics.