The Giro d’Italia ended on Sunday, but for Derek Gee, it marked a new beginning in his pro career. On the final day of the Italian stage race, he even joked that he didn’t want his parents coming to watch as he wasn’t sure he’d make it to Rome. Well, he did, and in style. (Thankfully, his Israel – Premier Tech team surprised Mr. and Mrs. Gee, as well as his girlfriend Ruby West, and flew them into Rome for the last stage.)
Derek Gee’s team gave him the best present for the final stage of the Giro
The 25-year-old finished his first Grand Tour, and given his focus on the track just a few years ago, it makes for some interesting discussion on what he is capable of going forward. He’s 1.89 m and 76 kg, which isn’t ideal for climbing. But he did hold his own on some of the lumpier stages against some very strong riders. He also has a good kick. Racing on the track has given him a sharp jump, which he showed in the intermediate sprints. Gee is also a strong time trialist. Although the national champion didn’t have any massive results in the chronos in Italy (55th, 45th, and 31st), he does know a thing or two about going fast alone. In 2022, Gee impressed Israel – Premier Tech with a fifth in the 15.8 km TT at Gran Camiño. That result secured his long-term contract with the team, which began in 2023.
The future is now…or is it?
So what kind of rider is Gee? Or rather, what kind of rider can Gee become?
“Now that I’ve seen what Derek did, I totally think he could be a GC guy,” Kevin Field, former directeur sportif, says. “His rider type is a Bradley Wiggins or Geraint Thomas, a pursuit/TT guy who can lean out enough to climb. I think on Stage 19, he really validated that he can climb.”
Field thinks that those three weeks have done more than just bolster his confidence. “His entire Giro validated he has repeatability and workload capacity. So now the only thing to see is if he can TT with the best in the WorldTour,” he adds. “And once you start doing that…it pulls you this way or that way.”
Patience with his trajectory
Former WorldTour rider Michael Barry, like so many others, was impressed with Gee’s ride but warns that slotting him into one form of racing too early may not be wise yet.
“As Derek is still young and only just developing as a rider, it’s hard to know his true potential. I would be apprehensive to categorize him as a certain type of rider as he’s only just…
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