‘I don’t know what kind of rider I am’: Derek Gee interview

Derek Gee has become something of a cult icon in cycling. Following a breakthrough Giro d’Italia last year, the 26-year-old Canadian rose through the ranks from a roster-filler to a star-biller.

Four close calls at the Giro saw Gee spring into our collective consciousness. An impressive ride recently at the Critérium du Dauphiné saw Gee climb onto the final podium at the most illustrious pre-Tour de France race.

Now fielded as one of Israel-Premier Tech’s top guns, Gee makes his hotly anticipated Tour debut this summer. We caught up with him a couple of days before the Grande Boucle kicks off in Florence this weekend.

The origins of a cult symbol

Sweet and polite in his demeanour, Derek Gee has come a long way from Osgoode, Ontario.

He began his competition-level career on the track. His breakthrough came at the 2017 Pan American Championships where he won gold in the individual and team pursuit disciplines. This transcontinental prowess continued into 2019 when he won gold in the team pursuit and the omnium. He was also an integral part of the team pursuit squad that achieved Canada’s best team result at an Olympic Games in just under a century.

Cyclist: Canada isn’t a cycling-rich nation like Belgium or The Netherlands. How did you get into the sport?

Derek Gee: There was a good community for cycling in Ottawa where I grew up – it was a good place to start riding a bike. My dad did masters racing in the 40/50+ age categories, so I went to races with him and started racing in the under-12 categories. We had weekly time-trials and then weekly cyclocross races in the fall.

The road was my passion. That’s how I fell in love with the sport. I was competing on the track as a junior but I stopped when I went to university. I said to myself ‘Okay, I’m gonna go to school, I’m gonna get a normal job.’ I soon realised I didn’t want to do that and I missed racing my bike. Naturally, the track was kind of my pathway back into it, with the 2020 Olympics in mind.

You mentioned university there, did you sacrifice your studies for cycling?

I spent one year on campus full-time studying for a Bachelor of Science in Life Sciences. The plan was to go into med school after. I remember this time during my first year — I was in a chemistry lecture surrounded by 800 people who all wanted to go to med school. To be honest, I just missed riding my bike. Then I studied online for a few years and stopped before the Olympics. I can go back anytime and finish my degree, but I don’t think I’ll be going back anytime soon.

Let’s look at the Olympics then. You competed for Canada at Tokyo in 2021, what was that experience like?

It was interesting, I’ll say that. For all those years, the Olympics were the goal. I wanted to become an Olympian and be competitive there. Covid pushed it back and made it feel like it wasn’t a real Olympic experience. We stayed on top of a mountain somewhere instead of being in the Olympic Village, so it felt like a World Championships or a World Cup. There weren’t huge crowds because of the restrictions either. It was still a good experience to race there, but I was happy to move on and focus on other things.

After the Olympics, you slowly moved onto the road with the Israel-Premier Tech team. How did that come about?

I was really hoping to go to the road. I was reaching out to teams myself.

However, when you’re doing track in Canada, it’s not like doing track in a European country. For them, it’s so easy to jump into racing. They can supplement the track racing by venturing onto the road. For Canadians, it’s a lot harder. You’d have to take time away from track camps and fly across the ocean for road races. This meant that I didn’t have a ton of a ton of road racing results to show teams. 

There were no bites from teams and I didn’t have a contract coming out of the Tokyo Olympics. I spoke with Israel Start Up Nation at the time and they said, ‘You’ve got great numbers.’ After years of training on the track, they knew that I was a big boy and could push watts. I had no road racing experience though. At the time, the team told me, ‘Try and find a team, get some results and then maybe we can we can sign you to the WorldTour team.’

Then they called me up in October or November of 2021 and asked if I found a team. They came back and said, ‘You’re 24, but we can put you on our under-23 team for a year.’ I was hesitant because I was 24 and about to go to a Continental team with a bunch of 18-year-olds. I’d have to move to Europe full-time. Nowadays, riders are transitioning younger and younger, so I almost felt too old to be making that kind of transition into the sport. I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to take that gamble, but I’m glad I did it.

Was Israel-Premier Tech a natural choice for you?

There’s a massive Canadian influence at Israel-Premier Tech. Paulo, the head of performance, is Canadian. The merger with the Canadian company Premier Tech happened within the same year I joined the development team, and that brought Hugo Houle and Mike Woods onto the team. The team’s got a part-Canadian owner, and then Steve Bauer came along. It was a very good fit – it felt like home.

Chris Froome is one of your teammates. Has he offloaded some wisdom to you?

I have actually raced very little with Chris.

I raced with him at the Dauphiné where I was in a position racing for GC. Then I started to see the wealth of knowledge that a guy like him has – he’s got seven Grand Tour wins.

He was walking me through how to podium the Dauphiné. It’s a big race, he’s won it three times, he’s been in those positions, he knows how to deal with leading a team there. So it was cool getting advice from him there. Once you get to know him, you just want to hear his racing stories about all the amazing things he’s done.

The breakthrough Giro d’Italia

Gee made his Grand Tour debut at the 2023 Giro d’Italia. With ambitions of stage hunting, his Israel-Premier Tech team punched above their weight in the breakaway, mostly courtesy of the Canadian.

He finished in second place on four stages covering all terrain, from a hilly stage in Fossombrone to a flat stage in Viareggio and a mountain-top finish at Tre Cime Lavaredo. 

Remaining humble, Gee impressed many – including himself it seems. The plucky Ottawan finished the race in 22nd place in GC, second in both the mountains and points classifications, winning the super-combativity prize, but importantly, he became a totem of the cycling fandom.

Cyclist: Let's go back to the beginning of May 2023. What were you expecting from the Giro when you started that race?

Gee: I was really hoping to finish the race. I knew I had the legs to finish it, but I was also aware that it was my first Grand Tour and I wanted to get through it without any major crashes or illness. I was hoping to get in some breaks and experience what it's like to be at the front of one of those stages and help the more experienced teammates.

Then I got in a bunch of breaks and got that experience. However, it wasn't the expectation going in or the assumption going in that I could fight for any of the stages. It was just, 'Hey, your first year we got a spot that's opened up on the Giro roster. Let's put you in the lineup and see how it goes.'

Your progression through the Giro was mightily impressive. How did your confidence build?

It was an interesting mix of growing confidence while still being in the unknown. On Stage 8 where Ben Healy won, it felt like we were in a different bike race. He took off with around 50km to go and we never saw him again. He was unbelievable that day. So I was racing the guys in my group for second place. I came away from that stage and felt like the gap between myself and a rider like Healy was still so big.

On Stage 10, I lost to Magnus Cort. Again, he smoked me in the sprint, but at least I was closer – I could see the win right in front of me. Then I grew in confidence when he said in his post-race interview that the stage was one of the hardest days he’d ridden on the bike. That felt pretty cool because he's had some major wins. 

Then I started to believe that I might be able to win one. So that made the sprint against Nico Denz on Stage 14 hurt more because I was so close.

The last second place on Stage 20 at Tre Cime di Lavaredo felt fine because I was in the break with Santiago Buitrago. I had no delusions about that one, he's a great climber.

Was it frustrating to be so close to a stage win, knowing what that could have done to your career in hindsight?

100 per cent. I think the one that really hurt was the Nico Denz stage because it was so close. And to be honest, he led out the sprint from miles out. That was the opportunity to win a stage.

Last year, I think I looked back on it with frustration because I didn’t get many results following the Giro. That weighed on me. I had reached this new level after the Giro, but then I went straight back to track all summer and felt as though I threw away those gains I had in the legs from my first Grand Tour.

You never know how a career is going to go. It's really hard to win a bike race so it was definitely frustrating to miss out on that when it was so close.

Which performance are you most proud of?

Honestly, the one I'm most proud of wasn't a win or a second place. It was the fourth place on the shortened stage to Crans Montana. It was hard from the get-go and I ended up in a break with Einer Rubio, Thibaut Pinot, Valentin Paret-Peintre and Jefferson Cepeda. I was looking around at the top of the penultimate climb, and there were five of us. They were tiny guys. I thought, 'This is awesome, this is for sure my best climbing performance.' I was like a ticking time bomb that day. I'm 75kg, I knew I would blow up at some point trying to follow these guys. In the end, that fourth place is the one I look back on with the most pride.

After these Giro successes, you became quite the overnight star. Your team flew your family out to the race, you captured the imagination of fans and you were in high demand for interviews. How did you handle this post-Giro fame?

It was overwhelming for sure. I didn't have a big presence online, I didn't post much on the internet or anything like that. Then all of a sudden at the Giro, my phone started blowing up. I didn't sleep much at all for the last few days of the Giro – maybe around five hours a night because I couldn't turn my brain off. It was a lot to deal with I think afterwards. I went back to Canada and disappeared for a short while to do some track racing and didn't race again until the World Championships.

Gee-C: A landmark Criterium du Dauphiné

At the start of June, Derek Gee hadn’t claimed a race win on the road outside of North America. Neither had he ever finished inside the top ten of a WorldTour stage race. This was rectified earlier this month on the roads of eastern France.

He took his first European pro win in Les Estables with a late attack on the third stage of the Dauphiné. He then took the yellow jersey for a day.

Riding on this wave of form, Gee continued his GC tirade in the final mountain stages of the race. After competing at the front of the final run-in at Samoëns and Plateau des Glières, Gee moved into third in the overall classification. He would remain in the bronze medal position until the race’s conclusion.

Cyclist: The Dauphiné last month must have come as a bit of a shock to you. How did you prepare for the race?

Gee: Going into 2024, the team had no idea what type of rider I was. I don't know what kind of rider I am either. The big plan for the year was to tackle the Classics, then go to altitude. I really wanted to hit the ground running this year because of what the back half of 2023 looked like after the Giro.

I wanted to be flying in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, but then I crashed, suffered a concussion, broke my hand, broke my collarbone and messed up my ribs. It was a tough start to the Classics. I rebuilt after that, raced the Giro d’Abruzzo and slowly found my race legs again.

We got back to the original plan and went up to Isola for an altitude camp with the team. At the altitude camp, guys on the team were saying, 'Wow man, you're flying.' I was pushing all the same numbers I had always pushed, I was just lighter than before and had adapted to altitude.

The team wanted to give me free rein to do GC at the Dauphiné. They told me, 'You're allowed to race to the line every day and see how you do. If you can come away with a top 15 that will be good.' I was stressed because top 15 – that's really hard to do. The team didn't put me under much pressure though, which was great.

Once I got to the race and took the stage win, I thought to myself, 'Wow, this is this is awesome. Now I have to try and fight for a top 15.' Every day after that, I was pushing myself a little more into the unknown. It was only really the last day when I realised that I had the legs to hopefully hold on to the podium.

That first big pro win came on Stage 3 to Les Estables, talk us through that.

When Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ) came around me I thought, 'You tried, but here comes the peloton.' I got on his wheel and no one else came around me. I saw the line and I started sprinting. I had no idea that we had a gap. I thought I was sprinting against a whole group of guys. I was a bit shocked, honestly. 

With the stage win came the coveted maillot jaune on Stage 4. What was it like to wear that jersey? They say it gives you wings.

Wearing the yellow jersey was pretty special. On that stage, I missed a corner a kilometre into the time-trial. Luckily, the TV camera didn't catch it. I was just panicked from there.

During the TT I didn't believe the timings they were telling me. I've never gone top 30 in a WorldTour time-trial, so that was a huge shock.

You finished in third place overall. That exceeded the team's expectations. What was it like to lead the squad to a GC podium?

The whole team rallied around me, especially on the last day. It was daunting to protect the podium and have riders of that calibre ride for you. I had Jakob Fuglsang – two-time winner of the race – asking if I was ok, if I had my jacket, bottles and all that. It felt as though it was supposed to be the other way around. That experience makes the job a lot easier.

To their credit, no one ever put pressure on me. The best part is that they haven't put pressure on me to go for a top ten at the Tour de France. We’re sticking to our plan, and that’s to go out there and try and win a stage.

On the brink of a Tour de France debut

After his performance at the Giro last year and the recent Dauphiné, Gee got a place on the Tour de France roster with ease.

He will lineup in Florence alongside Welsh rider Stevie Williams, German sprinter Pascal Ackermann and experienced Dane Jakob Fuglsang.

After his big Grand Tour splash, many people are expecting the Canadian to be among the standout riders at the Tour. In the past two years, Canada has scored two stages courtesy of Michael Woods and Hugo Houle – both of whom are on Israel-Premier Tech.

Cyclist: How have you been preparing for the Tour?

Gee: We did an altitude camp before the Dauphiné in Isola. However, I've been at home building up to the Tour. It's quite high altitude at home in Andorra – around 1800m above sea level. It's a nice break to come back home and from what I hear about how big of a show and stressful the Tour is, it's nice to be in my own environment. I’m putting in the work, but I am also spending some time with my loved ones.

You mentioned that the team’s goal is to win stages. How will Israel-Premier Tech approach that?

Before the Dauphiné, I would have said breakaway every time. I still think that's that's our best shot by far.

I'm sure there'll be certain stages where we could try to win within the main peloton. We have a guy like Stevie Williams, who has the kick to win from a bunch. There are certain finishes where he could rival Pogacar – we saw that on the final stage of the Volta a Catalunya. He was flying then.

Let's get introspective. What are your strengths as a rider?

I've only done one Grand Tour, and in that one I had pretty good fatigue resistance. I was able to go out there and race every day and fight for the break. One Grand Tour is a pretty small sample size, but I'm really hoping that that's the case at the Tour de France again. 

That being said, it's the Tour and there could be a day in 35-degree heat, get myself heatstroke and take myself out for a week. You never know – I just hope it’s similar to the Giro.

How do you think the Tour de France is going to be? Do you think it's going to be one that's suited for the breakaways or one that's going to be hard-fought from the start?

The first couple of days will be really telling.

If Jonas Vingegaard is absolutely flying, and Pogačar is flying, then I think that helps the break.

If Pogačar is in a league of his own, then he might want a ton of stages. He's got a ridiculous team around him. He could put them to work and breaks may not get to the line.

If Jonas is flying, Pogačar needs to be more conservative and keep more guys around him. I'm very curious to see how it’ll all turn out.

If Remco or Roglič also come into the race on form, then zero breaks are going to the line because every day one of them is going to want it. It obviously makes it tough to predict how the breakaways will go. There are still some stages that look like they're nailed on break stages.

How does it feel to be in such company at the Tour de France, starting alongside the likes of Pogačar and Vingegaard?

I'm lucky to have only done very few races against them. Obviously, to have guys at that level makes any race more prestigious. I’ll also be interested to see the dynamic of all of them racing together.

At the Dauphiné, I got to race against them as opposed to them being up the road with minutes of a lead. It was cool to look around and see Primoz Roglič there and think 'I know this guy's palmarès'. It's special to be racing to the line with him. Just getting a glimpse of being competitive with those guys instils so much confidence.

Well then, it's time to tell all. Who’s your pick to win the Tour de France?

I think it's going to be Tadej Pogačar.

I feel like we've almost grown accustomed to Pogačar winning. So we're a little bit dolt to how dominant he's been this year. Even at Strade Bianche, that was ridiculous. Looking back at how dominant he was in the Giro, I think that preparation gives him the edge over Jonas.

I mean, if Jonas Vingegaard builds form, there are a couple of stages in the third week – like that stage with the Bonette and Isola – he might put in one of those huge performances. That stage is suited to him so well.

You’re a well-documented bird watcher, a twitcher you could say. Are there any birds you’ll be looking out for at the 2024 Tour de France?

I don't have anything on my list. Last year I was a much more avid birdwatcher. I documented every bird I saw from the Tour Down Under until December, and wrote them all down in a book. I have kind of put that chapter aside. I still casually birdwatch for fun, but I'm not as hardcore as a lot of the ornithology world.

That begs the question. What else are you doing outside of cycling?

The biggest thing in the last couple of months has been the NBA. I watch tons of basketball.

However, in all honesty, I ride my bike, I lay around and I sleep. Sometimes there aren't quite enough hours in the day.

We are on the ground in Florence for the Grand Départ. Keep up with our content on Cyclist’s X/Twitter and Instagram for the latest tech news and videos from the Tour de France 2024.