Canadian Rider Derek Gee Secures Milestone Achievement at Critérium du Dauphiné
THÔNES, France — Canadian rider Derek Gee celebrated a milestone achievement on Sunday, securing his first-ever WorldTour general classification podium at the prestigious Critérium du Dauphiné. Slovenia’s Primoz Roglic, a top favourite for the upcoming Tour de France, claimed the overall victory in the eight-day, 1,020.6-kilometre stage race, edging out American Matteo Jorgenson by a mere eight seconds. Gee finished third, 28 seconds behind Jorgenson.
A Key Warm-up Race for the Tour de France
The Critérium du Dauphiné has a rich history of predicting future Tour de France champions, with eleven riders having won both titles in the same year, most recently Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard in 2023.
Praise for Gee’s Performance
Israel-Premier Tech sports director Daryl Impey praised Gee’s performance, stating, “A podium in one of the biggest stage races before one of the most important races of the season is a clear indication of Derek’s abilities and we look forward to seeing what he can do down the line.”
Gee Credits Teammates for Support
Gee credited his teammates for their unwavering support throughout the gruelling finale, which featured 3,640 metres of climbing and a final 9.4-kilometres ascent. “I’m really glad I could do that because the boys gave me everything,” an exhausted Gee said after the race. “I’m just really happy I finished that off.”
Final Stage Results
Spain’s Carlos Rodríguez claimed victory in Sunday’s 160.6-kilometre final stage, which started at Thieres and finished at Plateau des Glieres, with Jorgenson and Gee taking second and third place, respectively. Roglic finished sixth in the stage.
Reflections on the Achievement
Gee also finished fourth in the points race and sixth in the climbing category, while his fellow Israel-Premier Tech rider Hugo Houle from Sainte-Perpétue, Que., finished 64th overall.
Roglic, a strong contender for the Tour de France, won the penultimate stage to lead the overall standings by 62 seconds over Jorgenson. Gee was another 11 seconds back, some 43 seconds ahead of Russian Aleksandr Vlasov. Gee’s impressive performance included four top-10 finishes throughout the Critérium du Dauphiné.
A Surprise but Well-Deserved Result
“This whole week has been a nice surprise,” Impey said. “Coming into the Critérium du Dauphiné, we believed Derek could do a decent (general classification) result here but he exceeded expectations. Purely because of the hard work he has been putting in prior to this, working hard at camp, but not just him, the whole team.”
A Rising Star in Road Racing
Gee made a name for himself last year in his first Grand Tour race, finishing second four times and fourth twice in the Giro d’Italia. He placed 22nd in the final general classification standings and was runner-up to Italy’s Jonathan Milan in the points race and France’s Thibaut Pinot in the King of the Mountains standings. The Canadian was also honoured as the Giro’s “super combative rider”.
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