Derek Gee-West rising rapidly in Giro, prefers minimal help from Ciccone

In the shadow of standout performances from Thymen Arensman, a battling Jonas Vingegaard, and a struggling Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, someone stormed into the top ten during Tuesday’s Giro d’Italia time trial. Derek Gee-West appears to improve by the day, and the real mountain stages of the Giro are still ahead. IDL Procycling visited Lidl-Trek to get his story.

Gee-West arrived at the Giro with many questions surrounding him. The 28-year-old Canadian finished fourth in last year’s Giro, confirming his status as a GC contender. However, his much-discussed transfer from Israel-Premier Tech to Lidl-Trek raised some doubts. In March, Gee-West fell ill during the Tour of Catalonia, meaning he was not at peak form at the Giro start in Bulgaria.

On day two, he also suffered a major crash, though he got off relatively unscathed. Stage 4 brought another challenge when he punctured while the peloton powered uphill. Despite these setbacks, he lost only a minute in the opening days. By stage 7, finishing on the Blockhaus, Gee-West showed clear improvement.

The day ten time trial may have been the turning point for Gee-West. He finished fifth in the 42-kilometer route to Massa, the top GC rider behind Arensman. “I knew I felt good, so I’m very, very happy,” he said afterward. “My legs are getting a bit stronger every day.”

Ahead of stage 11, Gee-West appeared upbeat in the mixed zone. “I’m happy with the direction I’m heading, although it’s far too early to label the GC. I’m thrilled with my legs, especially because after Catalonia and a slightly compromised training camp, I knew I wouldn’t start in top form.”

After Catalonia, Gee-West has built his condition carefully, and Lidl-Trek team director Gregory Rast hopes he can continue this approach throughout the Giro. “I haven’t known Derek for long; this is only my second race with him. But from the start of this Giro, I trusted he would improve every day. We all believe that will continue into the third week. The podium is a goal.”

To place in the top five—or perhaps even on the podium in Rome—Gee-West will need his team. However, Lidl-Trek does not bring many climbers. Jonathan Milan has three teammates for sprints: Simone Consonni, Tim Torn Teutenberg, and Max Walscheid, with Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier supporting in the hills.

Matteo Sobrero and Giulio Ciccone are the high-mountain specialists, but Ciccone rides as a free leader in this Giro, chasing stage wins and potentially the mountains jersey. “Everyone knew well in advance that we came with support for Jonathan, who deserved it after winning the points classification twice. He also won the green jersey in last year’s Tour de France,” Rast said.

“Many will think we’re fools for not bringing more climbers and for not defending Ciccone’s pink jersey on day five,” continued the Swiss director. “But these choices were made long ago, and we committed to them. Cicco will continue to get his chances for breakaways, and there are still at least two sprints for Jonathan. We’re going all in on those.”

This is exactly what Gee-West hopes. “We have enough riders with freedom; the others help me daily with positioning and whatever else I need. Ultimately, I’m not here to win the Giro, so that freedom exists. We’re not a GC team—later in the top ten, it’s all about the legs. I need to follow the big teams. If your legs are good, you’ll climb.”

“If we were with Jonas Vingegaard, I’d have the team Visma | Lease a Bike brought,” Rast admitted. “But we never thought we had to defend a jersey; it was just realistic thinking. That’s why we brought these riders. Derek didn’t even want Ciccone’s help on the Blockhaus. He wanted to ride his own rhythm.”

“Derek will need the team on certain days. We’ll be there when that happens. He’s smart, positions himself well, and doesn’t panic if he doesn’t have helpers,” Rast added. Ciccone has already indicated—after taking the pink jersey in stage 4—that he hopes to return the favor to Gee-West later in this Giro.

Bram van der Ploeg ( X: @BvdPloegg | email : [email protected])