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Derek Gee takes third place in wild Tour de France gravel stage

Canadian jumps up to ninth in the GC

July 7, 2024
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Derek Gee came third in Sunday’s gravel stage of the 111th Tour de France, having been in the day’s breakaway on the chemin blanc of the Champagne region. Gee’s big day out moved him up to ninth in the GC. Anthony Turgis emerged from the escape to triumph in Troyes. Although the Big Four skirmished in the dust, and the yellow jersey tried to put the others under pressure, there was no movement at the top of the GC.

The Course

Stage 9 offered up 14 sectors of gravel totaling 32.2 km along 199 km around Troyes. The longest sector was #5 at 4.6 km, and there was another at 4 km. The last 3-km sector was 9 km from the finish.

It was the kind of day when someone in the top 10 could plummet from it. Only 1:36 separated Pogačar from his compatriot Primož Roglič in fourth, with Remco Evenepoel and reigning champion Jonas Vingegaard between them.

It didn’t take long before Derek Gee lit out for glory in a breakaway with four others.

Gee leads the break before the first gravel section.

Things were weird for Guillaume Boivin soon after the start.

Gee’s move was brought back. The attacks and counterattacks continued on the way to Sector 12, 2-km Bligny à Bergères. Gee made it into another fugitive group, an octet that had 20 seconds on the peloton when the chemin blanc began. The Gee group emerged from the dust with a 40-second lead. It was the fastest first hour of the 111th Tour so far. The escape grew on the first categorized climb of the day. When Sector 11, 1.2-km Baroville, bit, the group was 14 strong and included Tom Pidcock. Fourteen riders attempted to bridge.

On Baroville, Visma-Lease Bike’s pressure in the peloton and crashes that made riders come to a standstill put Primož Roglič 30 seconds in arrears. Wout van Aert and Juan Ayuso were back with Roglič. By the day’s intermediate sprint, Roglič and company had sewn up the hole. With UAE-Emirates driving the peloton, and Pogačar himself pushing on a descent, the Gee-Pidcock gang was yanked closer.

Sector 10 Loches-sur-Ource à Chacenay was a long, graveled climb. Van Aert went to the front and hit the gas. With 78 km to go, Evenepoel attacked. Pogačar counterattacked with Vingegaard, who was riding his teammate Jan Tratnik’s larger bike. The trio came together. Vingegaard wouldn’t work.

Pogacar, Vingegaard and Evenepoel take off.

The high-powered threesome found the Gee-Pidcock breakaway. Again, Roglič lagged 30 seconds behind. Then the favourites let the original breakaway go again, so the Big Three became the Big Four once more. With 58 km to race, the Gee-Pidcock group was 1:10 clear.

Suddenly Evenepoel was in trouble at the back of the peloton on the loose gravel. He latched back on but he was far down the string. Tenth-place Aleksandr Vlasov crashed hard into a ditch and looked sketchy getting back on his bike.

By Sector 7, Gee and Pidcock were only with six others. Their gap sat at 1:10. Mathieu van der Poel was in a septet of riders who tried to bridge. With 34 km remaining, Gee had a 2:20 gap and van der Poel et al was 1:10 ahead of the peloton. The gravel sectors ticked down.

Pogačar struck on Sector 4, Verrières, with 22 km before the line. Matteo Jorgenson has his wheel, but Vingegaard needed Christophe Laporte to pull him. The yellow jersey kept it up on the next sector. Jorgenson and Vingegaard was with him. Evenepoel had to scramble but he got back on even terms.

Pogacar, Vingegaard and Jorgenson after Sector 3.

Gee’s breakmate Jasper Stuyven surged away before the final sector. Gee did a lot of the chasing. Riders started skipping turns. It was tight going into the last 2 km. Stuyven was caught just inside the red kite. It would be a six-up sprint. Turgis, Pidcock, Gee was the day’s podium.

Monday is the first, well-earned rest day. Week Two brings the Pyrenees.

2024 Tour de France Stage 9
1) Anthony Turgis (France/TotalEnergies) 4:19:43
2) Tom Pidcock (Great Britain/Ineos) s.t.
3) Derek Gee (Canada/Israel-Premier Tech) s.t.

2024 Tour de France GC
1) Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia/UAE-Emirates) 35:42:42
2) Remco Evenepoel (Belgium/Soudal-QuickStep) +0:33
3) Jonas Vingegaard (Denmark/Visma-Lease a Bike) +1:15
9) Derek Gee (Canada/Israel-Premier Tech) +4:02