Derek Gee-West has had a great relationship with the Giro d’Italia in his still young road career, having broken through as a rider chasing breakaways in 2023 and finished fourth overall just 12 months ago, but as he heads into his third appearance, he’s been forced to admit that a flying start is unlikely.
The Canadian champion missed his team’s pre-race altitude camp in Sierra Nevada after still needing to recover from the illness which forced him out of the Volta a Catalunya in March.
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Starting somewhat blind in terms of his shape compared to his rivals, this has allowed him to take the pressure off himself as one of Lidl-Trek’s three leaders – with Giulio Ciccone chasing stages and Jonathan Milan looking to dominate the sprints and win the first maglia rosa.
That was also his last race of that season, other than at the Canadian National Championships, before his drawn-out split from Israel-Premier Tech saw him…
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