"I didn’t really have the energy to think about what Del Toro and Carapaz were doing" - Derek Gee settled and happy with fourth at Corsa Rosa
Cycling
There was only one day at this Giro d'Italia where Derek Gee lost positions in the overall classification. The leader of Israel - Premier Tech had a complicated start with a 47th spot and unexpected time loss on the opening day, but from there on was on a constant uphill ride all the way into the corner of the final podium.
"Obviously, when you’re in fourth place, you want the podium. But I had the fourth-best legs. Those guys were well above me today, so there was nothing I could do," Gee was honest in words to Cyclingnews and FloBikes. "I’m just happy to be here, in this position."
Gee rode a very consistent race from the first time-trial in Albania onward, and having succeeded in this, climbed all the way to fourth position in the monstrous 16th stage of the race where Richard Carapaz and Simon Yates placed themselves close to Isaac del Toro. On stage 20, Gee rode away from the riders that could potentially overtake him on the Colle delle Finestre, but was only a spectator in the battle for the win.
Riding his own pace, he often found himself together with Isaac del Toro and Richard Carapaz, who were constantly moving off the front. "I didn’t really have the energy to think about what Del Toro and Carapaz were doing. I just did my own ride, I'm super steady," he explains. But the fact that he had managed to bridge across was already impressive, specially for a rider of his weight in such a steep climb.
"It would have been suicide for me to try and go with those guys. With the kind of kick they have and their ability to recover from it, I would have been gone really, really quick. I rode it super steady but even I blew. I was crawling by the top," he admits.
Nevertheless it wraps up a successful Giro for the 27-year old who more and more cements himself as one of the best stage-racers in the world. "I'm happy in fourth. The team was amazing all race, we couldn't really hope for much more," he concluded.
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Giro d’Italia stage 20 is one that will be remembered for a long time. A stage where every rider has their story to tell. For @DerekGee7, it’s one of perseverance. Every time he dropped, he fought back, over and over again.
— Israel – Premier Tech (@IsraelPremTech) May 31, 2025
He rides into Rome with a well deserved fourth place… pic.twitter.com/GyLiXG4dP0
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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