I didn’t expect Derek Gee to say something that would shock me, especially not after our short interview two days ahead of the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec wrapped up.
“I’ve kind of stepped away from birding,” he said.
Wait. What? The rider from Osgoode, Ont., is not only known for his exploits on the road—a stage win at the Critérium du Dauphiné, a day in the leader’s jersey and a spot on the final podium (third), as well as a ninth overall in the Tour de France—but as an avid birder.
“Unfortunately, it’s just too competitive an activity. I can’t keep up with the birding world,” he said with a smile.
“So you’re going to focus on something chill like cycling,” I replied, following his lead.
“Exactly.”
The real reason he’s not birding so much is that in his European base of Andorra, there just aren’t so many feathered animals.
“You’re really up there in the mountains,” he said. “So, you know, you get about five species that can make it up there—only the tough ones.”
While there may not be too many birds in Andorra to add to Gee’s life list, he does see a lot of birds during rounds of the boardgame Wingspan. (“I’ve been actually playing a lot of Wingspan. There’s not much else to do when you’re up in Andorra training.”)
At the moment, Gee has to focus on activity at sea level. He’s returning to the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal, which he raced for the first time in 2023. After those events, he realized that they really grind a rider down. This year, he’ll be looking to find ways to conserve energy and move through the peloton smoothly.
Gee and I spoke in a conference room that was populated with heavy-hitters for the GPs: Tadej Pogačar, Michael Matthews, Biniam Girmay and Julian Alaphilippe. Gee’s successes abroad makes him a top draw here at home. During those European races—the 2023 Giro with its four second-place finishes for Gee, the Dauphiné and the Tour—Gee and his team Israel-Premier Tech are good at creating a space for the rider in which he doesn’t feel too much pressure, but has the opportunities to grow, which he takes. But in Quebec, as a “hometown favourite” for Canadian fans, does he feel any pressure?
“Not so much,” he said. “I think the biggest thing that builds pressure is an expectation of results. As much as I’d love to come away from Quebec or Montreal with massive results,…
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