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In an angry break at the Giro, Derek Gee was the polite one, because Canadian

The IPT rider had another great day on Stage 13

Derek Gee fourth stage 13 of Giro Photo by: Sirotti

Today’s breakaway was angry, my friends. Like an old man sending soup back in a deli. There were initially six riders working together to stay clear, which ultimately whittled down to four. That group included Jefferson Alexander Cepeda (EF Education First-EasyPost), Einer Augusto Rubio (Movistar), French star Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ), and Canadian standout Derek Gee (Israel – Premier Tech).

Another day, another breakaway at the Giro for Derek Gee

Gee has already finished second in two stages, both in breaks, and once again, the 25-year-old from Ottawa was in the mix. Stage 13 was shortened to 74.6 km, and given the length, there was plenty of fire in the racing. In fact, towards the end of the stage, leading up to the final climb, the Crans Montana, it was getting spicy. Plenty of words were exchanged between Cepeda and Pinot, and then Rubio and Pinot, which meant that it was not a happy little breakaway. Pinot was unhappy with how the others were sharing the workload.

5 things you need to know about Derek Gee

Gee, of course, the consummate Canadian, was keen to sit back, be polite, and do his work. When Gee ultimately came off on the final climb, he simply drifted off, forcing Cepeda to close the gap. Perhaps it was a little bit of a lesson, Canuck-style, to let him know he was bickering a smidgen too much with Pinot. (Although, to be fair, the quarrel seemed to be equally shared.)

Gee pleased with his fantastic form at the Giro

After the race, Gee was thrilled to have another great day at the Corsa Rosa. “I can’t believe it. Coming in to this Giro, I definitely wouldn’t have expected this but I’m really happy with where my legs are,” he said. “The whole team is flying and I just can’t wait for the next couple of the days!”

Gee rode at his own pace up the final 5.3 km climb, finishing a minute behind but still ahead of the GC contenders. He moves up to 36th overall, third in the points (!), and fifth in the KOM competition. Not bad for a Giro rookie, especially a very polite one.

 

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