Derek Gee overwhelmed by his Tour de France top 10: "I've been really nervous the last few days and trying not to mess it up"

In his first ever Tour de France appearance, Derek Gee certainly didn't disappoint with a top 10 in the general classification. Over the course of three weeks, the 26-year-old was super consistent and even managed to slip into a breakaway on the gravel stage to take a podium result on the day. After his special Dauphiné, there were some question marks about whether this was just a 'one-off', but Gee, being as strong on the final day as at the start of the Tour, has proven to be more than worthy of a 'GC rider' title.

Many including Gee himself were doubtful how would he do in the second and especially the third week of hard racing. But there was no particularly bad day in the Tour de France of the Canadian. "It's overwhelming. I've been really nervous the last few days, being in this position and trying not to mess it up, so it's a huge relief to finish in the top 10. It's a pretty special feeling," Gee confessed in a team press communication.

"I had no idea how my legs were going to be and it's been like that for a few days, I was wondering how my legs were going to perform at this stage of the race," Gee explained. The final time trial in Nice may have been the best performance of Gee's Tour, as the Israel - Premier Tech rider clocked an impressive sixth best time. "I knew I was going to have a good climb and then on the descent, once I heard the time gaps to the top ten, I knew I couldn't mess it up and crash, so I was a little hesitant on the descent."

"I’m proud of the team’s performance at this year’s Tour," said team owner Sylvan Adams. "The boys rode for each other at the front of the peloton. We finished in the top 10 thirteen times, which meant we were in the mix for more than half of the stages. With four podiums and Derek Gee finishing in the top 10 overall, I’d say it was our best Tour ever, even though we didn’t manage to win a single stage."