"The gap is so big to the best guys in the world" - Derek Gee realises difficulty of replicating Giro d'Italia heroics

At the 2023 Giro d'Italia, arguably no one impressed more than Derek Gee. Despite the fact he didn't manage to take a stage win, his relentlessly attacking style and never say die attitude won the hearts of many.

“It was overwhelming,” the Canadian of Israel - Premier Tech reflected in conversation with Velo. “I had never raced a Grand Tour, and there is so much hype around the Giro, and then to get all the media attention, which I’ve never had before, it was intense. I just went into every day with a ‘what do I have to lose?’ mentality. If I blow up in my first Giro, it is already a success, but the legs held out luckily.”

Going home from the Giro d'Italia with four second placed finishes, two fourth placed finishes, runner-up in both the points classification and three king of the mountains, Gee was also awarded the most combative rider of the race. “Getting the combative prize and being able to be on the final podium in Rome was pretty special,” he says. “I was OK with that one. It was a nice consolation because I didn’t win anything else.”

“A lot of the second places didn’t hurt too badly because the other guy was on a higher level,” Gee explains. “Against guys like Ben Healy or Santiago Buitrago? We’re at altitude in mountains, and I wasn’t expecting to win that one.”

Nevertheless, as Gee prepares for an expected return to the Giro d'Italia in 2024, he realises it won't be easy to replicate such a performance. “Looking back the gap is so big to the best guys in the world. I know I have it in me to get there, but it’s also a good reminder that I know what it takes to actually win,” Gee analyses. “If I hadn’t had that opportunity in that Giro I wouldn’t been able to shift my expectations as much as I have."

“It’s raised where I thought my ceiling might have been, but also what it takes to win," he concludes. “Even coming second so many times, sometimes the gap was so big, it was a good experience to know what I need to improve. It was a big jump for that period, and I hope to race at that level all year long.”