FROM professional cycling to teaching and business – Dean Windsor has experienced it all.
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Now working at building contracting company EODO following a one-year stint in teaching, it’s a world away from the European cycling scene Mr Windsor was still a part of until 2012.
With wife Dominique by his side and daughter Olivia approaching her first birthday, Mr Windsor is more than happy settling down in his birthplace as he starts a very different journey.
This story begins, however, on two very quick wheels.
Cycling found its way early into Mr Windsor’s life after following in his father Mark’s footsteps, and it soon became clear that he had what it took to make a career of it.
After starting his professional career in Australia, Europe eventually beckoned for the Bathurst talent in 2010 when he signed up to the Rapha Condor cycling team based in Britain.
There Mr Windsor was competing in the European Continental circuit – just a single rung underneath the UCI World Tour where the prestigious Tour de France takes place.
He then moved to the Endura team in 2012, what Mr Windsor called one of his biggest highlights.
But there was only so much he could take being away from his home city and pushing himself to the limit every season in a gruelling sport.
“It was tough to be away from my family for so long, because you’re only back in
Bathurst for two months in holidays. Of course you wouldn’t want to go anywhere else other than Bathurst for those two months,” he said.
“My last year over there was probably my most successful on the bike and probably the best as far as memories go.
“When I finished up my cycling and came back home, that was a very tough decision for me to make, but I was very lucky for Bathurst Public School to take me in straight away.”
Even though his time in the field was short, he’s thankful for the chance he was given in what he called an excellent ‘transition’ period in his life.
“Bathurst Public School hired me for a full-time position, which was a really great thing for them to give to me. They provided a lot of support and it was a great transition period for me.
“I thoroughly enjoyed it. While I don’t think I could see myself teaching for the rest of my life, I loved it.”
Now EODO is the third of three very different jobs for Mr Windsor, but one that has already led to some rewarding experiences.
The biggest undertaking in his time there has being a part of Bathurst’s water cleansing project, the largest project the company has taken on board in two decades.
Being part of the manganese removal project was an experience just as rewarding for Mr Windsor as finding success on the saddle.
“It’s a great team they’ve got here at EODO, and a great environment to be a part of. They do a lot of technical and intricate work here. What’s great is that every day it’s different and you feel like no two tasks are the same,” he said.
“[The project] was satisfying but it was quite a journey. We’ve had a lot of challenges but I don’t think it’s something a big contractor could do. We’ve created something of the highest Australian standard and it’s all been done by local traders and workers.
“It’s just a great thing to be able to settle down now. In my last year overseas I probably had over 100 flights.”
He may not be racing at the same level anymore, but he still makes sure cycling remains a big part of his life, even taking up triathlon as he regularly races alongside his father.
Mr Windsor went back to his junior track cycling roots when he recently rode the first ever lap on the new Bathurst Velodrome when the asphalt was laid down.
“I had to dust off the track bike when I was asked to do the first lap around the new velodrome. My lap record probably stood for a long time after that,” he joked.
Even before hitting the age of 30, Mr Windsor has already built up quite a travel log and shared in many adventures, and now, as he raises a family, he begins to write the next chapter.
A man who first represented Bathurst on the world stage is now working hard to help his home city prosper for future generations, one which his daughter will be a part of.
And he’ll do so with the great sense of humour he always brings along for the ride.
“I think my daughter’s the cutest thing on earth. She looks just more like her mother than me, and I have to be honest, that’s a very good thing,” he said.
