Canadian cyclist Derek Gee was rewarded for his excellent performance in the Giro d’Italia on Tuesday after signing a long-term agreement with the Israel Premier-Tech team.
The 25-year-old Ottawan was promoted to the Israel-Premier Tech pro team in May 2022, after signing a three-year pact allowing him to leave the academy. On Tuesday, Israel Premier-Tech said under the new deal Gee will remain with the team until the conclusion of the 2028 season.
“We knew Derek had enormous potential when we presented him with an offer to join our continental U23 program a few years ago,” Israeli-Canadian businessman Sylvan Adams said in a statement. . However, at this year’s ‘Giro’, Derek demonstrated his intelligence and ability to compete with the best riders in the world in a professional peloton. »
Gee shone in Italy last month in his first major event of his career, finishing second four times and fourth on two occasions. He finished 22e in the general classification of the Tour of Italy, in addition to having finished second in the classifications of points (behind the Italian Jonathan Milan) and climbers (behind the Frenchman Thibaut Pinot).
The representative of the maple leaf was also named the Giro’s “super combative rider”.
The Premier-Tech team also includes Ontario’s Michael Woods as well as Quebecers Hugo Houle and Guillaume Boivin. Former Canadian star cyclist Steve Bauer is the sports director of the team whose main sponsor, Premier Tech, is based in Rivière-du-Loup.