For a pro rider entering his first-ever Grand Tour, Canada’s Derek Gee had one hell of a ride. By the time the 2023 Giro d’Italia was over, the Israel-Premier Tech rider had finished second in four stages, fourth in two stages, and overall, was second in the points and KOM competitions. To say his star is on the rise feels like a bit of an understatement.
He also became a bit of a folk hero during the race, thanks to his seemingly boundless energy for breakaways, heartfelt sprint finishes that left him in tears, and—to be honest—one of the best race faces in the peloton.
We had a chance to chat with Gee as he recovers from that monumental effort and reflects on how his life has changed in the last few weeks.
Heading into the Giro, what were your goals for the race? Did you have any idea that this kind of ride was possible for you?
The kind of ride I did in the Giro was probably the farthest thing from possible I expected going into the race! Primarily, my goal was to make it through the three weeks of racing, see how my body adapted afterwards and use it to take another step forward as a rider. I was hoping to help the more experienced guys on the team and ride a breakaway some day just to get that experience.
Looking back to day 1 of the tour, your first ever Grand Tour—one you *almost* didn’t even get to go to!—what was that first stage like, being part of such an iconic event?
Absolutely unbelievable, just to do [the] team presentation and roll off the start ramp of the time trial, wearing the National Champion’s kit, was a moment I’ll remember forever. Riding past the crowds it really sunk in that I was racing the Giro, a race I’d dreamed of since I was a kid.
Do you remember how you felt with that first second place stage finish?
After finishing second in Fossombrone, I was over the moon! I genuinely couldn't believe I had podiumed a stage of the Giro and the fact that the winner that day—Ben Healy—was so far up the road made the second place all that much better. He was on another level and it wasn't like I had just missed out on the win. The race was over almost 60k from the finish so to beat the rest of the guys from the break, especially on a stage that hard, was the best I could have done on the day and worlds better than I expected from any stage going in. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face for ages.
Second overall in points and KOM, plus your stage finishes… which result are you most proud of?
I think looking back, stage 19 is the one I’m most proud of. Just to be in the break on the queen stage of the Giro, through the picturesque Dolomites, over famous climbs, through the sea of fans, that’s the stuff you dream of in this sport. To be able to lead the race on to the final climb and until 1.5k to go and to go second on a stage with over 5000m of climbing as someone who weighs 75kg [165 pounds], I think I can say that was my best performance of the Giro and the one I can be the most proud of.
Some headlines (including one from your team) refer to your fourth second place as ‘heartbreaking.’ Most cyclists can only dream of a result like that! At the time, you said, “I’m sure when I look back, I will be happy but for now, this one really really hurts.” A few days later, how does it feel?
The only stage that truly hurts is stage 10 into Viareggio. The cumulative second places across the board definitely sting, but individually I’m incredibly happy with each stage result. Stage 10 however, was by far the closest, I lost by about half a wheel, and I’ll be thinking about that stage for a long, long time.
As the race wore on, it must have been a huge stress for you to figure out recovery since it was your first Grand Tour—what was your post-race recovery strategy? Did it change as the race went on?
Honestly, I had horrible post-race recovery as we got deeper into the Giro. The first half of the race, I was sleeping incredibly well, feeling fresh every day, but as the results started to come in and the fatigue got deeper and deeper, not only was my body too wrecked to sleep properly, but I was having a very hard time shutting my brain off. Some nights in the third week I only got about four hours of sleep, so I was pretty surprised my legs didn’t give out on me earlier!
How is this race changing your mentality heading into the rest of the season?
I think the biggest thing I can take away from the Giro is confidence. It’s been a daunting season with the calendar I’ve had, all big WorldTour races and I definitely felt like it was a bit of being thrown into the deep end. The team had a lot of confidence in me which is why they put me in a calendar like that and now I think I’ll have that confidence in myself that I’m not just in these races to learn and participate, but I can actually race them properly at the pointy end.
How have your teammates reacted? This must be wild for them to be part of!
I’ve had some great messages from teammates who weren’t at the race but from specifically the Giro team, I think a race like that brought such a great atmosphere. I managed to finish on the podium on stage 8 and from there we were all racing unbelievably aggressively, three of us managed to podium a stage and all of us were racing incredibly well. The atmosphere was unbelievable and for a team of only five guys left at the end, it felt like there was nothing we couldn’t do on these stages!
You’ve made a million headlines in this race—how does suddenly being asked for so many more interviews and having such a rapidly growing fan base feel? It must be kind of surreal!
Surreal is exactly how I would describe it; before the Giro I was an incredibly unknown rider in the professional peloton so to see a change this big from a media and fan perspective, in what feels like overnight, is hard to put into words. The number of messages I’ve received is overwhelming and some of them are incredibly heartfelt messages of support, so it really means the world to me.
Absolute best moment in the entire race for you? Other than your parents and your girlfriend, Ruby West, surprising you in Italy!
Well, my parents and Ruby surprising me in Italy was far and away the best moment of the whole race. To be able to share Rome with them was the best day of my life and it will stay with me forever. Aside from that, stage 8 was a feeling that will be hard to replicate. I managed to replicate the result quite a few times, but that first time exceeded my expectations by such a wide margin and podiuming a stage of the Giro, something I wasn’t sure I would ever do in my career, was such an amazing moment.
