Canada's Derek Gee 4th to begin final week of Giro d'Italia cycling race

Mexican rider Isaac Del Toro just barely maintained his Giro d'Italia lead during the gruelling 16th stage Tuesday, when 2019 champion Richard Carapaz of Ecuador was the big mover in the overall standings.

Ottawa's Derek Gee, riding for the Israel-Premier Tech team, has improved since Stage 12. He placed fifth on Tuesday to move to fourth in the overall standings in his second Giro d'Italia after a breakthrough 2023 performance when Gee was second four times and fourth twice.

Gee entered this year's competition after becoming an overall multi-race stage champion for the first time in his career.

He captured the O Gran Camino road race in Spain on March 2 for the first overall stage race victory of his career, a 35-second edge over Italy's Davide Piganzoli. Gee finished with three top-10 stage results, including a first, second and 10th. At the seven-stage Tirreno-Adriatico, he was fourth overall with two sixth-place results.

The 27-year-old last led a race at the Criterium du Dauphine last June in France, spending one day in the yellow jersey coincided with an individual time trial. He finished third overall.

At the Tour de France, Gee was ninth with four top-10 showings, including a third in Stage 9.

He went on to finish 44th in last summer's Olympic road race in Paris and was the top Canadian in the individual time trial, placing 20th.

Post-Olympics, Gee was 22nd in the individual time trial at the road world championships in Zurich. He did not finish the road race.

Meanwhile, when Carapaz, who also won gold at the 2021 Olympics, attacked on the finishing climb in the Dolomites, Del Toro had no response.

Del Toro's lead was reduced to 26 seconds ahead of British rider Simon Yates and 31 seconds ahead of Carapaz.

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