'I had to go with it' - Derek Gee-West moves closer to Giro d'Italia podium in 'super hard' queen stage to Alleghe

Derek Gee-West has taken a significant step closer to the overall podium at the 2026 Giro d’Italia following a strong performance on the queen stage 19, which concluded atop the Piani di Pezzè summit in Alleghe. The Canadian rider, representing Lidl-Trek, was part of a decisive 28-rider breakaway that gradually whittled down to ten contenders. Despite the challenging terrain and fierce competition, Gee-West secured second place on the stage, moving up from sixth to fifth in the general classification. The breakaway group included several key general classification (GC) hopefuls such as Jai Hindley, Michael Storer, and Damiano Caruso, all aiming to improve their standings. The group managed to gain a substantial three-minute advantage over the maglia rosa, Jonas Vingegaard, and his closest rivals. Gee-West’s teammate Giulio Ciccone played a crucial role in the break, collecting valuable King of the Mountains points and briefly going solo in pursuit of the stage win before being caught by Sepp Kuss and Gee-West near the finish. Gee-West described the stage as “super hard” and credited his team’s tactical efforts, particularly Tudor Pro Cycling’s Michael Storer, for maintaining the gap to the peloton. The Canadian admitted he was unsure of the exact time differences during the race but knew it was vital to stay with the other GC contenders in the break. His runner-up finish on the day brought him within 6 minutes and 31 seconds of Vingegaard, although the Danish leader remains out of reach. However, with only a small margin separating the top five riders, Gee-West still has a chance to challenge for a podium spot. Looking ahead to the final stage, a 200km route from Gemona del Friuli to Piancavallo, Gee-West acknowledged the difficulty of the previous day’s effort but expressed cautious optimism. The stage is expected to be less mountainous, which could offer him an opportunity to claw back time on those ahead of him in the standings. With only 1 minute and 27 seconds separating him from third place, the Canadian remains motivated to push for a top-three finish in Rome.