Sometimes you get things wrong, but sometimes it’s good news! On Monday, Canadian Cycling Magazine posted a bummer of a story saying that for the first time since 2018, there wouldn’t be a Canadian racing at the men’s Tour de France.
But now, it seems that Osgoode, Ont.’s Derek Gee-West will be heading to Spain for the Grand Départ of the Tour de France. The race begins with a TTT in Barcelona, which means hopefully the gang at Santini are busy stitching up a brand-new skinsuit for Gee-West, who just won the national TT title in Saint-Georges, Que.
From Beauce to Barcelona
It seems that Giulio Ciccone is no longer racing the Tour, and Gee-West is replacing him.
Travelling from Canada isn’t totally ideal before a Grand Tour, so this most likley wasn’t planned far in advance. But either way, great to see Gee-West at the Tour.
🇨🇦 Derek Gee-West
✍️ hand drawn by Fette pic.twitter.com/nlRcgqjyY8
— Lidl-Trek (@LidlTrek) June 29, 2026
This will be his first year doing two Grand Tours—he was supposed to do the Vuelta a España in 2025, after also doing the Giro d’Italia, but, well, you know what happened.
As far as his role in the race, it sounds like he won’t be shooting for his own ambitions. In a statement from his WorldTour outfit, Juan Ayuso remains the clear leader for the overall.
“After a successful Giro d’Italia, Derek Gee-West continues to be one of the sport’s strongest all-round stage racers and will be crucial in the mountains, while Carlos Verona adds vital experience and climbing prowess,” the German team posted.
Ayuso said that he is fully focused on making the podium at this year’s Tour.
“The goal is obviously to be on one step on the podium of Paris. It’s still going to be three weeks of hard work, and we will see what we can achieve. Everything can change in the Tour on any day. It’s important to just not lose time and save energy in the first stages. We have some hard days in the first week but it shouldn’t be too crazy until the weekend of the second week. There and throughout the last week the GC will be decided,” the Spaniard said.