Derek Gee’s Spectacular Performance in the Giro d’Italia

Derek Gee has taken the cycling world by storm in this year’s Giro d’Italia, impressing fans and competitors alike. On stage 19, Gee once again delivered a magical performance, securing a hard-fought second place.

“If I stayed in the peloton, there was no chance I could win so I may have got second a lot but at least I gave myself a shot,” an exhausted Gee shared after the race.

Gee had his eyes set on securing second place in the points classification and made the decision to break away from the peloton, despite the grueling 5400 meters of climbing that awaited the riders.

“I thought this would be a GC day but after the intermediate sprint, the peloton gave us a bigger and bigger gap. Suddenly, I had to wrap my head around going to the finish. My legs were already done by that point,” Gee explained.

Although the breakaway group worked well together, the situation changed on Passo Giau as the group began to disintegrate. Determined to also achieve a top result in the KOM competition, Gee pushed himself to stay in contention on the steep slopes. With a remarkable effort in the final meters, he crossed the top in first place, moving up to third overall.

Despite repeatedly depleting his energy levels, Gee found the strength to launch one last attack on the final climb to Tre Cime di Lavaredo. In a solo effort, he tried to claim his elusive stage win in the Giro. However, Santiago Buitrago of Bahrain-Victorious caught him in the final two kilometers, and Gee had to settle for second place once again – the fourth time in the race.

“I think that one will take a while to sink in. To be able to fight for the win on a stage like today was something I never imagined coming into this Giro. Four second places hurt for sure, but it makes me hungrier moving forward to get that first win. I’m super proud of the team at this Giro; we showed what we’re made of, and even if we didn’t get that stage win, I think we gave ourselves the best chance to do it almost every day,” Gee expressed.

Following his remarkable performance, Gee now finds himself in second place in both the points and the KOM classification.