Derek Gee was one of Lidl-Trek's star signings this winter but he has not been having an easy first few months with the team. After the end of 2025 saw him without a team and a coach for several months after his departure from NSN Cycling Team - then Israel - Premier Tech - an illness bout has jeopardized his preparation towards the Giro d'Italia.
The Canadian national champion started off his season at the UAE Tour where he achieved a solid 7th place in the overall classification. However, he was planning on showing better form at Milano-Torino and specially the Volta a Catalunya where the Giro candidates were gathering, with a better display of form. But after being ill, he was not able to perform, and withdrew from the race.
The signs were not good, only just over a month before the Grande Partenza, but they have not improved much since. He returned to competition at the Tour of the Alps and on the first mountain stage he was 30th across the finish line, losing over a minute to the leading group of Giulio Pellizzari.
Shock to the body at the Tour of the Alps
"Yesterday I made my first major effort in a long time. It was a shock to my body, but I needed it," Gee said in words to CyclingPro.net. "The road to the Giro is still going well. We'll see how I feel at the end of this week. There are still three days of racing ahead.”
The 28-year old shows no signs of major stress however the truth is that on the bike he is still significantly behind the level of his rivals. Whilst it is not mandatory to have one's best form at this point in time, the Giro starts within two weeks and there's only so much improvement that can be done before the race arrives to its key stages.
The Austria-Italian race provides plenty stages with tough climbs to test the legs and work on the climbing form, something which Gee - much like Tom Pidcock, only with a different goal - is hoping to use. "I hope to do better. I have to keep giving my all and try to improve as much as possible.”
The Ottawa native in the meantime leads Lidl-Trek throughout the rest of the Tour of the Alps and, if all goes right, will share the co-leadership with Jonathan Milan at the Giro d'Italia. “I hope things are different at the Giro. I can't do anything about it right now. In any case, I'm relaxed; there's a great atmosphere in the team.”
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.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
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.
claps 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- They only raced each other during the 2026 Tour, but here's a few metrics to look at. Stage 3 (Granollers to Les Angles): Pogačar won the stage, finishing 2 seconds ahead of Vingegaard (2nd). Del Toro finished 24 seconds behind Stage 6 (Pau to Gavarnie-Gedre / Col du Tourmalet): Pogačar won solo, Vingegaard finished 2nd (losing 2:38), and Del Toro finished 3rd (at +2:57, finishing 19 seconds behind Vingegaard). Here, Jonas Vingegaard outclimbed Isaac del Toro by 19 seconds on the mountain stageawp13-11-2026
- your clinging to the past. Jonas was dropped by del toro many times last year and jonas never managed a climbing numers del toro did in dauphine last year -entire year. Trend is also evident theres no discussion your living in the past, its beent he same with jonas for many years now and only developing, meanwhile del toro is rising and developing greatly. This is all obvious stuff and im not even a del toro fan. No point discussing numbers or this i suspect you dont watch much now but rather think its 2022 still cause this aint hard.miguel13-11-2026
- We can go through metrics if you like, Del Toro, who I do admire and support, is not on the same level as Jonas just yet. You will see that in early 2027 if they have any crossover races. I do hope they both race the Giro. You are correct though, Jonas is getting older and will not be able to hand on much longer. I see 2027 as a good year for him. Obviously behind Tadej though.awp13-11-2026
- What wins? Are you LA operating under a pseudonym?mij13-11-2026
- My point is this - Tadej, Remco, Seixas are all the outliers. Many riders don’t hit their peak until 28. It’s way too early to write him off. And the pogi slo guy that hates him - he’s also immature. Ayuso needs time.mij13-11-2026
- Then you need to use ur eyes or head if you have cause del toro already dropped jonas two times and beat him in tdf stages already this year.. Del toro climbed(dauphine) better numbers than jonas did all year too. So ur feelings and wishful thinking doesnt amtter del toro himself has already surpassed jonas infact just facts. Its also very evident for anyone objective that Jonas is declining alot, its just the truth and super obvious.miguel13-11-2026
- None of those victories stand, so there's that,wrsty13-11-2026
- No surprise there; it is British Sycling, yes, with an S
Rafionain-Glas12-11-2026 - I like Del Toro but he's not on the level of Jonas, by a large margin.awp12-11-2026
- There are only two people who will be competing with Tadej in 2027 and neither are Remco.awp12-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment