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Derek Gee gets second in pretty much everything, but he still continues to win the Internet

The IPT rider played some ping pong as he gears up for WorldTour races in Canada

Derek Gee playing table tennis Photo by: Israel – Premier Tech @IsraelPremTech
September 5, 2023
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Derek Gee, forever known as the ‘revelation of the Giro,’ became famous for his multiple breakaways where he finished second, but his fame took an unexpected turn after a table tennis match video confirmed something else.

It seems like yesterday that the Israel – Premier Tech became the talk of the città when he had a standout Giro d’Italia, with his constant attacks and incredible riding. At the end of the Grand Tour, he had four seconds, two fourths, after almost 1,000 km in breakaways. To continue on with his number two status, he also placed second in the KOM, second in the points, and second in the intermediate sprints. (Hey, he did win the combativity award, and rightfully so.)

He even joked about his run on the Canadian Cycling Magazine podcast, saying he also got two more seconds by placing 22nd overall. The Ottawa rider made Canada proud, even if he didn’t get that elusive victory. He’s gearing up for some riding back home at the Grands Prix cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal which take place September 8 and September 10, after riding the recent Maryland Cycling Classic, where he finished 40th.

In the meantime, Gee has to have some downtime, and who doesn’t love table tennis? In a clip posted to his team’s Twitter, we see the 27-year-old duking it out with one of his IPT mates. In a thrilling game, Gee says he’s feeling a lot of pressure to win it. Despite a thrilling rally, he ended up losing. But that’s OK, he’s much better at cycling anyway. Plus, knowing the way the gutsy Canuck rides, there’s bound to be a big win down the road which will make this ping pong loss seem like nothing.