Special report: 2008 Olympic Games

    WELLINGTON, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Six New Zealand cyclists were named to complete the cycling team for the Beijing Olympics, New Zealand media reported on Saturday.

    Julian Dean, who competes in the Tour de France starting this weekend, will be head of the New Zealand road cycling team at next month's Beijing Olympics.

    He is one of six cyclists named by the New Zealand Olympic selectors on Friday to complete the cycling team for Beijing.

    Dean will be joined by fellow professionals Tim Gudsell and Glenn Chadwick in the men's road relay, with Jo Kiesanowski competing in the women's road race

    Two riders have been added to the New Zealand track team, Peter Latham in the men's team pursuit and Catherine Cheatley in the points race.

    Dean, 33, has been a leading professional for the last decade. He was looking forward to competing in his fourth Olympic Games and building on the outstanding 15th place he achieved at Athens in 2004.

    Kiesanowski, 29, is New Zealand's highest ranked female cyclist, now inside the top 30. She has been in excellent form for Team Tibco in the United States with a number of stage wins to her credit in her six-year professional career in Europe and the United States. She was a highly creditable 17th in Athens and rodeinto a top 15 at last year's world championships.

    Kiesanowski is the only New Zealand rider in the women's road race after New Zealand lost their ranking points in two events that were recently down-graded. New Zealand could have had three women's road riders.