Derek Gee rode into the history books today as he crossed the line of the final time trial at the Tour de France to finish ninth overall, Israel – Premier Tech’s first ever top-ten finish.
Despite his third place overall at the Criterium du Dauphiné, the warm up for the Tour, Gee started the race three weeks ago with the objective of hunting stage wins, but after finding himself inside the top-ten after stage 9, where he animated the breakaway, the goal shifted for Gee.
To finish inside the top-ten in his debut participation is a result he could only dream of, says Gee.
He said: “It’s overwhelming. I’ve been so nervous in the last few days, being in this position and trying not to blow it, so there is an overwhelming sense of relief to come away with a top-ten. It’s a pretty special feeling.
“We had such a good group of riders here and on the road, they have been fantastic. I was supported so well in the team with the wealth of experience we have. All the staff, the directors, everyone, have just been so incredible so I am glad I was able to finish it off.”
Gee’s determination and tenacity, the very qualities which won over the cycling world in the 2023 Giro d’Italia, allowed him to dig deep over the past days in Alps, where he moved up to eighth on GC after stage 19, before dropping to ninth yesterday. With just 24 seconds separating Gee and Matteo Jorgenson in eighth place, it all came down to the hill 34-kilometer time trial from Monaco to Nice where Derek clocked the sixth-fastest time but wasn’t able to surpass Jorgenson.
“I had no idea how my legs were going to be and it’s been that way the last few days with a question mark around how my legs would be this deep into a race,” says Gee. “I knew I was having a good climb and then on the descent once I heard the time gaps to the top-ten, I knew I had to not mess it up and not crash so I was a bit tentative on the descent.”
Gee’s result is a reflection of the stellar teamwork displayed at the Tour, with the team expertly protecting Gee throughout the race and Pascal Ackermann in the sprints, adds Sports Director Steve Bauer.
“As an overall team effort, it was fabulous,” explains Bauer. “We had a goal every stage, we always shot for a stage win and Pascal and the sprint train did an amazing job. Then Derek came through and almost won a stage on the gravel and then we were in the GC game so that gave us a new direction with confirmation of what he can do. We lost a couple of guys, Guillaume and Jake, but we still stood strong and were able to finish it off here in Nice so I am very proud.”
Although a stage win eluded IPT, the team came close on multiple occasions with Ackermann sprinting to third place in three of the sprints, narrowly missing the win, while IPT recorded top-ten results on 13 stages.
For IPT owner Sylvan Adams, the fact that a stage win didn’t quite come together doesn’t stop this year’s Tour from being the team’s best ever, coinciding with the team’s tenth year in the peloton.
“I’m proud of the team’s performance at this year’s Tour,” adds Adams. “The boys rode for each other at the front of the peloton. We had 13 top-ten finishes, meaning we were in the hunt in more than half of the stages. With four podiums and Derek Gee finishing in the top-ten on GC, I would say that this was our best Tour ever, even if we didn’t manage to win a stage.”
