Beyond what happens in the tremendous time trial climb to Monte Lussari, stage that will decide the champion of the race, the 106th edition of the Pink Corsa will be remembered by fans as ‘The Derek Gee Twist’. The Canadian (25 years old) has ceased to be a complete unknown to the general public based on spectacular performances in this Giro and a presence in the race that no other rider has had. His combativeness should be rewarded in Rome, where he will complete his first participation in a grand tour after having added a whopping 1,045 km in getaways, almost a third of the total distance of the race. Crazy.
“If I stayed in the field, there was no chance I could win, so I may have been second many times, but at least I gave myself a chance. I think it will take a while to sink in, Being able to fight for victory in a scenario like today was something I never imagined when I arrived at this Giro”, explained Gee after reaching the finish line of Tre Cime di Lavaredo and finish, for the fourth time so far in the Giro, a stage in second position (8th, 10th, 14th and 19th). The image of him, sitting on the asphalt, completely exhausted and having a soda, has gone around the world.
Despite everything, Gee’s will is unbreakable. Not only will he continue looking for a win in the future, but what happened in this Giro, where He is also 2nd in the points and mountain classifications, it gives him even more motivation: “Four second places hurts, but it makes me hungrier to keep going and get that first victory.” In his next races, this good time trialist (Canadian national champion) and combative climber, who lives in Girona and that he arrived a little late to professional cycling (23 years old), I’m sure it will be a reference to take into account, at least, in leaks. For now, we can only thank him for being one of the few entertainers of this Giro d’Italia.