[the_ad id="5357"]
[ad_1]
Today’s breakaway was angry, my friends. Like an old man sending soup back in a deli. There were initially six riders working together to stay clear, which ultimately whittled down to four. That group included Jefferson Alexander Cepeda (EF Education First-EasyPost), Einer Augusto Rubio (Movistar), French star Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ), and Canadian standout Derek Gee.
Gee has already finished second in two stages, both in breaks, and once again, the 25-year-old from Ottawa was in the mix. Stage 13 was shortened to 74.6 km, and given the length, there was plenty of fire in the racing. In fact, towards the end of the stage, leading up to the final climb, the Crans Montana, it was getting spicy. Plenty of words were exchanged between Cepeda and Pinot, and then Rubio and Pinot, which meant that it was not a happy little breakaway. Pinot was unhappy with how the others were sharing the workload.
Gee, of course, the consummate Canadian, was keen to sit back, be polite, and do his work. When Gee ultimately came off on the final climb, he simply drifted off, forcing Cepeda to close the gap. Perhaps it was a little bit of a lesson, Canuck-style, to let him know he was bickering a smidgen too much with Pinot. (Although, to be fair, the quarrel seemed to be equally shared.)
Gee rode at his own pace up the final 5.3 km climb, finishing a minute behind but still ahead of the GC contenders. He moves up to 36th overall, third in the points (!), and fifth in the KOM competition. Not bad for a Giro rookie, especially a very polite one.
— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) May 19, 2023
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Canadian Cycling Magazine…
[ad_2]