Derek Gee tackles INEOS rumours; retirement thoughts at Israel - Premier Tech; confirms Giro d'Italia leadership for Lidl-Trek

Derek Gee-West is now a rider for Lidl-Trek in each and every single way. The Canadian rider was already present at the team's training camp in December as CyclingUpToDate understands, however he was only made official now in January. He has now talked to the media discussing a wide array of topics including the INEOS Grenadiers rumours, his time with Israel - Premier Tech and his schedule for 2026.

In August, Gee terminated his contract unilaterally with Israel - Premier Tech, but the team entered a legal battle with him which then saw him without a contract for several months. Throughout the winter he got married and had a reset before joining Lidl-Trek.

However it was certainly not an easy period that he spent with the Israeli team. “I have lived through very dark days; I thought that retirement was a very real possibility," Gee said in an interview with El País this Tuesday. Now this afternoon, the Canadian national champion talked about several topics in an online press conference.

Amongst those, the INEOS Grenadiers rumours that had surged in August. Gee's departure from IPT fueled the speculation as to where he was heading, being one of the brightest stage-racers on the market, however no deal with INEOS was made.

And according to Gee this was not even a topic of discussion. "Came out of nowhere, no real substance to it," he described. Throughout the winter it had become apparent he would join Lidl-Trek, who continue to grow due to their budget increase. He joins Juan Ayuso as a premium signing and Grand Tour leader.

Certainly, Lidl-Trek have reinforced themselves significantly. Juan Ayuso, Mattias Skjelmose and Mads Pedersen are all focusing on the Tour de France, but by no means is the Giro d'Italia lineup modest. Jonathan Milan will lead the pursuit for the maglia ciclamino, and Gee will aim for the pink jersey once more.

“I really love the Giro. Since I’ve been a kid it’s been my favourite Grand Tour. had a breakout race there in 2023. If I did it every year for the rest of my career, I’d be happy with it," he admits. And in 2026, he will do it again, something which was also rather obvious but is now confirmed by the man himself.

"With Lidl-Trek, we obviously have a multi-goal strategy with the sprints, and with Giulio Ciccone going for stages. So having a leader with a full team around him might help a lot just in terms of how the race is played out. It might be less chaotic," he describes.

The battle should be for the podium however, as Gee will have rivals such as João Almeida, but mainly Jonas Vingegaard to face next May. “[Vingegaard] is obviously the favourite going into the race, so there’s a lot of pressure on that team," he admits.

However, it's quite plausible that his level will grow into the upcoming season, mimicking what has been the case over the past few years. “Obviously, the resources and the expertise here is immense. It’s so hard to tell what the differences will be because I haven’t raced yet. But that’s the goal, on a team like this, to shoot for the podium," he concluded.