Derek Gee surrounded by experience as Israel - Premier Tech confirm GC focused 2025 Giro d'Italia team

The always entertaining Derek Gee is hoping to mount a serious Maglia Rosa threat at the 2025 Giro d'Italia. With the Israel - Premier Tech team now having officially confirmed their lineup for the opening Grand Tour of the season, it seems the Canadian can count on an experienced support squad around him over the coming three weeks.

“It’s no secret that we are going to the Giro d’Italia to ride the GC with Derek. We believe that with his abilities and physical capacities, we can do a really good GC with him," explains Israel - Premier Tech DS Sam Bewley to the team's official website, with the team of Corbin Strong, Hugo Houle, Jakob Fuglsang, Jan Hirt, Marco Frigo, Nick Schultz, and Simon Clarke joining Gee at the Giro.

"Of course, we want to win stages at the Giro too, and we’ve got a number of guys capable of doing that. There should be plenty of opportunities for breakaways to succeed this year, and we’ve got some really good guys to be part of that. Furthermore, there are a lot of punchy, uphill finishes this year that really suit Corbin," Bewley adds. "Overall, we’ve got a well-rounded group, with the main objective being the GC while also trying to pick up a few stage wins along the way.”

The Giro d'Italia was the race that really put Gee on the map a couple of years ago, so the Canadian is understandably excited to return and also keen to show how much he's improved since 2023. “The Giro definitely has a special place in my heart. This is where I had my first big results. The crowds were amazing, and I’m super motivated for this whole race. To come back to the Giro is really special to me,” Gee says.

“It was pretty special to be hunting for stages two years ago, but this time I’ll have a different and more ambitious goal – thinking of the GC," continues the 27-year-old. "I don’t want to put a specific number on what my expectations are for the general classification, I just want to continue building on what we’ve already achieved this season. Then, hopefully, in Rome, we can look back and have a good number on the board. I really just want to do the best race I can.”

“I think the team has been great all year. The core group of us has raced together at every race, and it has just been incredible," Gee concludes. "We have such good chemistry as a team, and hopefully, we can translate that into getting some good results. I’m really looking forward to this Giro!”

And as mentioned, Israel - Premier Tech have made a concerted effort to surround Gee with experience. “We felt that it was really important to surround Derek with experienced guys, and we’ve got quite a lot of depth when it comes to experience in our group, with the likes of Simon Clarke, Jakob Fuglsang, Jan Hirt, Nick Schultz, and Hugo Houle. All of these guys have a history of riding in support of leaders at Grand Tours or riding GC themselves, so we felt it was important to have them here," Bewley explains. "They have been racing together a lot throughout the season already, really connecting as a group, and they have all prepared really well for this Giro. We are ready.”

Derek Gee
Corbin Strong
Hugo Houle
Jakob Fuglsang
Jan Hirt
Marco Frigo
Nick Schultz
Simon Clarke