Canadian cyclist Derek Gee carries momentum into upcoming Tour de France debut

Ottawa's Derek Gee is headed to his first Tour de France, alongside fellow Canadians Hugo Houle and Guillaume Boivin on the Israel-Premier Tech team.

Gee is coming off a third-place finish in the Criterium du Dauphine, an eight-day stage race considered a key warm-up for the Tour. It marked his first WorldTour general classification podium.

"I'm unbelievably excited to be lining up at my first Tour," Gee said in a statement. "It's truly a childhood dream to race the Tour de France, and I can't wait to experience the atmosphere of the biggest race in the world.

"The dream would be to win a stage and try to follow what Hugo and Mike [Woods] have done for Canada at this race in the last few years."

An emotional Houle won Stage 16 of the 2022 Tour, pointing to the sky as he crossed the finish. Houle dedicated the win to younger brother Pierrik, who died in December 2012 when he was hit by a drunk driver while jogging. He was 19.

Woods, who finished third behind Houle that day, went on to win Stage 9 of the 2023 Tour.

Israel-Premier Tech is after more of the same in this year's race, a 3,498-kilometre trek that starts June 29 in Florence and ends July 21 in Nice.

"The main goal is to win a stage," said sports director Steve Bauer, a fellow Canadian who raced in the Tour nine times between 1985 and 1995. "It's a clear goal that certainly 21 other teams have as well. We have a strong, balanced and versatile team with riders able to shine in different terrains, giving us potential to be competitive throughout the race as the Tour evolves stage by stage. The competition will be fierce, but I believe in the group we are bringing to this Tour."

"The Tour is never easy, but we know we have guys who can win," added Bauer.

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