"Tomorrow, we'll get the first real answers" - Derek Gee anticipates great battle after rest day
Cycling
Just like Simon Yates slid under the radar onto the podium, Derek Gee has silently worked his way towards his current fifth place. And on Monte Grappa, the Israel - Premier Tech leader sticked his nose into the wind for the first time when he followed the attack of Egan Bernal. He may have not gained much with this move with regards to GC, but as a confidence boost ahead of hard third week - this was a perfect launch pad.
"I'm pleased with how my legs have felt so far," Gee said in a press release. With the same breath, he points out that main meal is yet to come: "They're still a bit untested on the terrain we're heading to; it's going to be a very different style of racing than what we've had, but I can take a lot of confidence from the past week."
But at the end of the second week, Gee was visibly in an ease riding uphill. "I felt excellent. I felt I could respond on the climbs when I needed to. It was good to have guys around me all the time, guys who dropped back from the breakaway, like Marco (Frigo, ed.). I was never isolated; it was a great day."
So far, it was mostly just playing a crash roulette among the candidates for overall victory, but the character of race will swiftly change in the week 3. "100%. It will be different on the very long climbs, where it will be less tactical and come down to pure leg power."
Gee was among the victims of gravel chaos at the end of first week but is already back into top-5 with podium in sight. On the other hand he's not the only one with eyes on the prize: "I think there are two sides to it. Of course, I want to let my legs do the talking and show how I compare to the other guys, but at the same time, I know that there are probably guys behind me in the GC who, just like me, want to move up in the third week."
The final week takes off with a massive stage in Trento that includes three first category climbs and nearly 5000 altitude meters. "Especially when there's a rest day before, there's always a bit of uncertainty about how the body will react, but it will be great to answer the questions about who's where. Tomorrow, we'll get the first real answers."
The monster stages ahead a part of why Gee remains modest about where he'd like to be seated in the final standings this Sunday. "If the altitude meters were spread out a bit more over the weeks, and I was fifth after a few difficult uphill finishes, then I could say more about my goals. But at the moment, the guys in front of me could lose ground, but those behind me could also move up. It's far too early to say where I'll finish and what I'll be happy with."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- You despise him because he calls out the truth....OK clown !frieders303-11-2026
- JV is really slighting himself with not doing the 1 dayers.. 🤷
leedorney02-11-2026 - Watch the interview on youtube. I don't speak French. I do speak English and Spanish and you can hear it in his voice. Years ago LeMond had real personal problems I imagine in no small part because of Armstrong. then Armstrong goes round "full blast" re: LeMond having drinking and drug problems. The same way Andreu was expelled from mainstream cycling so was LeMond. On the positive side the clips of the ride and chatting with old teammates and was good. To seemed like a fun day and experience and good reason brush up his French.atom02-11-2026
- and another no-news article around the ‚2 tokyo jogging rounds‘ headline, this time spiced with some days old ‚news‘ that the LA and japan vacation trips come during or after the tdf route release. i am getting more and more annoyed by this time-stealing no-news crap. but who am i to complain? nobody forces me to come back for more ‚news‘ day after day …Ketterechts02-11-2026
- It would likely be a very steep section of 4.1 km, not changing the average gradient considerably, with the climb remaining 10.1 km at 11.8%. It would reach 20% on the gravel. It would start 1.6 km in, and finish with 4.2 km left to climb (before the short final descent)
Rafionain-Glas02-11-2026 - Welcome to the off-season.
santiagobenites02-11-2026 - guillaume martin in this list is quite a surprise as a gc rider.Ketterechts02-11-2026
- Who cares what Bruyneel thinks. He and his best mate Lance, the biggest fraud in the history of sport, have no place commenting on anything but how to lie and cheat!whit2pet02-11-2026
- Eeesh!Lozza02-11-2026
- bravo! a rider likes jonas needs motivation and he needs to believe in being able to reach goals. he - like anybody else in the world - doesn't believe that he can win the tdf with pogi present. and what's it worth for when pogi is not there? second class victory only. he has checked all three grand tours, so what is left if not retire? the classics! go for it, jonas!Ketterechts02-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment