Canadian cyclist Derek Gee runner-up in Stage 8 of Giro d'Italia

Canadian Derek Gee, competing in his first Grand Tour, finished runner-up to Irish rider Ben Healy in Stage 8 of the Giro d'Italia on Saturday.

The 25-year-old from Ottawa was part of a four-man breakaway, staying near the front despite a string of punishing climbs.

"It feels like a win. I'm over the moon," Gee, who rides for the Israel-Premier Tech team, said from Fossomborone, Italy. "Coming into this Giro, I thought I had no chance, I was just trying to survive and get experience, so this is amazing. It's really confidence inspiring to have the team believe in me and put me in a calendar like this so I'm really happy that I can validate that."

After Healey pulled ahead, Gee led the three-man chase group out on the finish straight, launching his sprint with 200 metres to go.

"I don't think even he realizes how a big a ride he did today, and it won't be the last time we see him ride like this," said Sam Bewley, Israel-Premier Tech's sports director.

In the general classification competition, Primoz Roglic launched the first significant attack of the race and gained 14 seconds on overall rival Remco Evenepoel. Ineos teammates Tao Geoghegan Hart and Geraint Thomas also rode strongly.

Norway's Andreas Leknessund held onto the pink jersey despite losing a big chunk of time.

Roglic is a three-time Spanish Vuelta champion, GeogheganHart won the Giro in 2020 and Thomas won the 2018 Tour de France. Evenepoel won the Vuelta last year and is also the reigning world champion.

Healy got into an early breakaway and surged ahead in the finale on the first of two ascents up the short but steep Muro dei Cappuccini climb, which featured gradients of up to 19 percent. The Cappuccini climb was also where Roglic burst into action on the