(Cassano Magnago) Continuing to impress in his first appearance in a Grand Tour cycling event, Canadian Derek Gee came within half a wheel of winning the 14e stage of the Cycling Tour of Italy, Saturday.
Color bearer of the Israel-Premier Tech team, the 25-year-old athlete from Ottawa was part of a group of eight cyclists during the final sprint.
Germany’s Nico Denz was at the front of this mini peloton and started celebrating before reaching the finish line when Gee nearly managed to get ahead of him.
While Denz was eventually able to celebrate his second stage victory at the 2023 edition of the Giro, Bruno Armirail became the first Frenchman to take the leader’s pink jersey since the beginning of this century.
Denz and Gee completed the 194km distance between Sierre, Switzerland, and Cassano Magnago in four hours 37 minutes 30 seconds, as did Italian Alberto Bettiol.
PHOTO JENNIFER LORENZINI, REUTERS
Derek Gee and Nico Denz
“It’s the one I’ve been closest to. I did everything I could today,” said Gee.
“When I look back, I’m sure I’ll be happy, but right now this one really, really hurts,” he said.
Earlier in the competition, Gee had also placed second in the eighth and 10e stages in addition to finishing in fourth place on Friday, during the 13e stage.
“I’m disappointed, after all the work the team has done for me, that I didn’t win the race today,” admitted Gee.
“The stage was 200 kilometers long, but if it had been a few meters longer, it would have been good. »
With a total of 112 points, Gee is second in the points standings, behind Italy’s Jonathan Milan, who has 164.
The only Canadian in the race, Gee is 21e rung of the general classification which takes account of the cumulative time, 13 minutes seven seconds from the leader.
For its part, Armirail won the pink jersey held by Geraint Thomas, and he is the first French cyclist to wear it since Laurent Jalabert, in 1999.
He holds a lead of one minute 41 seconds over Thomas. Primoz Roglic ranks third, two seconds behind Thomas.
The 15e Sunday’s stage features four classified climbs on the 195-kilometre route between Seregno and Bergamo.
The Giro ends in Rome in eight days.