"You have Tadej, Remco, Jonas and you hold on to them" - Derek Gee discusses 2024 Tour and new Giro d'Italia GC challenge

Derek Gee became a strong Grand Tour rider this year, riding to a Top10 at the Tour de France after a brilliant Criterium du Dauphiné where he was on the final podium. The Israel - Premier Tech rider talks about North American cycling, fighting for the GC at the Tour and his ambitions at the 2025 Giro d'Italia.

In the USA, all main races have been removed from the calendar, and at this time only the Quebec/Montreal classics bring in World Tour teams to the continent that has the richest nation on the planet. “Not having these races hurts development, not being able to have the Continentals racing against the World Tour teams." Gee told TopCycling. The Canadian rider recognizes the issue this brings to riders from the region, but also forces them to make important decisions early on that can help them later.

"On the other hand, it forced young cyclists to go to Europe early to become professionals, forge their path, when there was always a disconnect as to whether these young people could compete in Europe where the races are so different. It hurts to think that they all ended before I became a professional so I never ran them even though I grew up with them. I always wanted to race the Tour of California," he admits.

After a few interesting years where he believed he was developing into a quality classics rider, 2024 was a year of discovery for the 27-year old who shocked to finish third on the Dauphiné only behind Primoz Roglic and Matteo Jorgenson. “... I had never been in a situation like the Dauphiné. When you're in the Top three it's easy to make mistakes, but in a race like the Giro or the Tour it was easy not to make those mistakes".

Gee rode a virtually perfect Tour de France without mishaps and with his best level all throughout, but the level was so insanely high that the ninth spot was the best he could achieve. He notes that with the climbing levels as high as they were, there's no point of attacking, but instead trying to survive in the wheel of the best for as long as possible. "You have Tadej, Remco, Jonas and you hold on to them. When the race is dictated by the top riders it’s easier to be conservative.”

He was one of the first riders to reveal the Giro d'Italia will be his main goal for 2025, where he could chase a very strong GC result. “Talking about winning this year is very ambitious for me, but you never know," he teases. "It's a bike race and everyone who lines up has a chance. It certainly depends on who rides. Overall it is a project: it takes time to work on it, discover weaknesses and make mistakes. The good part is that I'm not going to say I want a top 5, I know we spent the whole winter working on the overall project. I think I have a great team around me and you never know.”