(Thônes) Canadian cyclist Derek Gee celebrated his first podium in the general classification of a WorldTour event on Sunday by finishing third in the Critérium du Dauphiné.
Slovenian Primoz Roglic, one of the favorites ahead of the Tour de France, won the eight-day race by eight seconds over American Matteo Jorgenson and 28 seconds over Gee.
The Critérium du Dauphiné is considered a key preparation race before the Tour de France.
PHOTO THOMAS SAMSON, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Derek Gee (in blue) behind Matteo Jorgenson
Eleven riders have won this competition and the Tour de France in the same year, the latest being the Dane Jonas Vingegaard in 2023.
“A podium finish 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 in the future “, declared Daryl Impey, the sports director of Israel-Premier Tech, the team for which the Canadian plays.
Gee also thanked his Israel-Premier Tech teammates for their support during a grueling final which included 3,640 meters of elevation gain and a final ascent of 9.4 kilometers.
“I’m really happy I was able to do this because the guys gave me everything,” said an exhausted Gee after the race. “I’m really happy that I was able to finish this race. »
Spaniard Carlos Rodríguez won the final 160.6 kilometer stage, which started in Thieres and finished at the Plateau des Glieres, with Jorgenson second and Gee third. Roglic finished sixth.
Gee, 26, from Ottawa, was part of a small lead group, but was eventually let go by Rodriguez and Jorgenson with a kilometer to go.
“All week I was nervous, waiting for my legs to give out,” Gee said. “After the finish line, I suffered so much that I couldn’t enjoy it, but now it’s starting to sink in (in my mind). There will be a lot of thinking after this. For now, I’m just enjoying the situation as it is. But it’s really cool.
“I was suffering on the last climb, but as soon as I saw Roglic being let go, I said to myself that maybe I had good legs today. So I took my chance. Matteo (Jorgenson) said he was at the limit and couldn’t pass, he stopped and I was immediately at the limit. Rodriguez and Jorgenson got away and I couldn’t do anything, but I was really happy with my legs. »
Quebecer Hugo Houle, another color bearer of Israel-Premier Tech, finished 64e in the general classification.
Gee, who entered Sunday’s final stage third overall, also finished fourth in the points standings and sixth in the climbers category.
Roglic had won the penultimate stage and led the general classification with 62 seconds ahead of Jorgenson.
Gee then fell back by 11 seconds, and led by 43 seconds over the Russian Aleksandr Vlasov.
Gee won the third stage on Tuesday, earning the right to wear the overall leader’s yellow jersey. He thus became the first Canadian to wear the leader’s jersey since David Veilleux, who won the first stage in 2013 and kept the lead for three days.
Gee had slipped to fourth overall after finishing sixth in Wednesday’s time trial.
The fifth stage was canceled prematurely after a massive crash. Gee held on to fourth place overall on Friday, then moved up to third on Saturday.
Gee completed the competition with four top 10.
“This whole week has been a nice surprise,” Impey admitted.
Before the Critérium du Dauphiné, we thought Derek could get a decent result (overall) here, but he exceeded expectations. It’s purely due to the hard work he put in leading up to this, working hard in camp, but not just him, the whole team.
Daryl Impey, the sports director of Israel-Premier Tech
Gee turned heads last year in his first Grand Tour race, finishing second four times and fourth twice at the Giro d’Italia.
He ranked 22e in the final general classification and was beaten by the Italian Jonathan Milan in the points race and by the Frenchman Thibaut Pinot in the king of the mountain classification.
The Canadian was also honored as a “super combative rider” of the Giro.