OFFICIAL: Derek Gee signs with Lidl-Trek after months-long silence - "We haven’t even seen his limit yet"
Cycling
It is a signing that had been in the making for a while, and it has now been made official. Derek Gee is joining Lidl-Trek with a three-year contract running all the way to 2028. The German team's level grows even further by capturing the last top-level rider who was available on the market.
“Bringing Derek on board is a big boost for us. Over the last three years he has shown an incredibly high level in stage races, and we’re sure we haven’t even seen his limit yet," team manager Luca Guarcilena said in a press release.
Gee, fourth at last year's Giro d'Italia, has been evolving as a climber over the last few years and is now one of the most versatile riders in the peloton. He terminated his contract with Israel - Premier Tech unilaterally last August, before the Vuelta a España where he was supposed to be leading.
The team has since dissolved in what was its form at the time, becoming NSN Cycling Team. Gee was then inserted into a legal battle with the former team management, which saw him being accused of causing €30 million euros in damages. In a statement by the new team, it seems clear that these have been resolved. Initially he was linked to INEOS Grenadiers, however his name slowly faded into silence throughout the winter.
It had been rumoured, but not confirmed that he made the trio to Lidl-Trek's camp in mid-December. From there on, the transfer seemed only like a matter of time. "Derek will have the full support of our performance resources to fully realize his potential. As a Team, we have big goals across the entire season, and recruiting Derek brings us one step closer to achieving them.”
Potential Giro leader?
“It’s pretty special to be joining Lidl-Trek. From the outside, you can already see that this is an organization operating very close to the gold standard in our sport, and that was something that really appealed to me," the Canadian added. "The ambition, the structure, and the depth of talent across the Team are impressive, and it feels like the right environment for the next phase of my career".
With Juan Ayuso, Mattias Skjelmose and Mads Pedersen all heading to the Tour de France, it seems quite logic that Gee will be given a leadership role at the Giro d'Italia where he was close to the podium this past spring. The 28-year old has last raced at the Canadian national championships in June however, and will take some racing to get back to the rhythm.
“I’m really looking forward to racing with shared ambitions and multiple options within the team. Lidl-Trek have world-class riders across so many areas of the sport, and being part of a group where we can play different cards in stage races and Grand Tours is something new for me," he concludes. "I’m excited to learn from that, to keep developing as a GC rider, and to see what we can achieve together over the coming years.”
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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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