Derek Gee was briefly his own coach during 'incredibly tough period' and now returns to beloved grand tour with Lidl-Trek

It was the transfer soap of last winter: Derek Gee got into a fighting divorce with former employer Israel-Premier Tech, followed even by a multi-million dollar claim. It ended well for the Canadian, as Lidl-Trek shoved a contract under the rider's nose. In a press moment attended by IDL Pro Cycling, Gee recounted a very difficult few months, during which he was suddenly his own coach.

It was Gee himself who indicated through his representatives late last summer that he was no longer under contract with Israel-Premier Tech. The team did not agree and so the two parties clashed. The Israeli formation demanded millions, Gee wanted nothing more to do with the team.

For a long time there were rumors about the continuation of his career, which initially mentioned INEOS Grenadiers as the next team. 'That kind of came out of nowhere,' the Canadian said. 'There wasn't really any substance to that. So yeah, I was as shocked as anyone to read that.'

It ended up being not INEOS, but Lidl-Trek. Gee joined the training camp back in December, and news of his transfer came out early this month. 'Now I'm here, I'm stoked. I couldn't have asked for a better landing spot. And yeah, the team's been great so far. Really, really well introduced and integrated into it so far. I can't wait to get racing.'

In the Lidl-Trek jersey, Gee will finally race in the peloton again, something he has not done in Europe since the Giro d'Italia. After the Tour of Italy, in which he finished fourth, he rode only the Canadian championships in 2025. Is that a problem heading into 2026? 'No, no. I was training hard and I feel as though, although it was an incredibly late arrival.'

Even at the press conference, the rider from Ottawa cannot avoid questions about the past couple of months. He at least clarifies that the trial is history. 'That's all settled. Done. And yes, there are no more problems with that,' he leaves no doubt about that.

Still, the past period was anything but easy for Gee. 'It was very, very tough. I mean, incredibly. But it's also the kind of thing where, because that's your every day, it's all consuming.' Whether that still plays in his mind now? 'As soon as, you know, you arrive at team camp, you're on a new team, it really leaves you pretty quickly,' he sounds resolute.

'I'm not going to exaggerate and say it was fine' the Canadian continued about the difficult months. 'It was a very, very tough period, but it's not something that stuck with me. It hasn't lingered. And honestly, I feel kind of like fresh, re-motivated, ready to get back in the peloton.'

There was no time, for example, when Gee thought he might have to sit out an entire calendar year. 'I definitely thought at some points that I was not confident that it would be resolved by the end of the season. But I'm eternally grateful that it was, especially with the timing of it. There was a lot of uncertainty, so I had no idea how long it would go on for. But no, I think the timing was great.'

Without a team, there was nothing for the climber from Ottawa to do but train for himself. What kind of training sessions were they? 'I mean, I'm sure the quality wasn't great because I was my own coach. And I don't know what I'm doing,' Gee laughed. 'But it's okay. The training values are where they were the year before. Everything's all good. No major misses on that side.'

Anything to do with Israel-Premier Tech, at least, the Canadian wants to leave behind. Looking ahead, rather. After all, how did he end up at Lidl-Trek? 'I joined this team fundamentally because you can see from the outside that one, they're incredibly ambitious. Two, the support is amazing. And to be honest, I just couldn't see any downside. It just seemed like kind of the best landing spot.'

With his new team, Gee continues to follow the familiar recipe, building up to his much-loved Giro. 'I start in the Algarve. After that, Cataluña, which I'm really looking forward to racing. Obviously, that's now like a home race for me, and I haven't done it before. And then, Alps and the Giro. And after that? Who knows?', so his fall program is still wide open.