Gee-West targets Giro d'Italia podium as Canadian eyes next step

The Canadian finished fourth overall in 2025, just 1’40” shy of the podium, and will return next month for his third appearance, with the race starting in Bulgaria before heading to Italy.

“The dream? Definitely to get on the podium, that's what I'm working for,” Gee-West said to RCS. “There are so many variables that it's impossible to say if I can achieve it, but I'll give it everything I've got.”

Now 28, Gee-West arrived at Lidl-Trek after a turbulent period that saw him exit Israel-Premier Tech and endure months of uncertainty and legal wrangling over his future.

“I want to leave that in the past,” Gee-West said earlier this year when asked about his departure.

Despite that, it was at Israel-Premier Tech that Gee-West first made his name, with the Giro as his breakthrough stage. In 2023, he emerged as one of the revelations of the race, finishing second on four stages and placing second in both the points and mountains classifications despite arriving without a professional win.

Last year, he shifted focus towards the general classification and came close to the podium, confirming his potential as a stage race contender.

“The Giro has always been my favourite Grand Tour, ever since I watched it as a kid,” Gee said. “It has a special place in my heart, and it's the race where I really made a name for myself.”

The transition to a GC contender has come at a cost. The freedom of his breakthrough ride in 2023 has given way to the demands of riding for the general classification.

“I don't think any Grand Tour will ever match 2023 in terms of enjoyment,” Gee-West said. “We didn't have sprinters or GC riders, zero expectations, zero pressure, and total freedom to race. Now the focus has shifted to the general classification: you enjoy it a bit less, but if things go well, the rewards are huge.”

His build up to this year’s Giro has been less straightforward. After eight months without racing during his contractual dispute, Gee-West returned at the UAE Tour, finishing seventh, before abandoning the Volta a Catalunya due to physical issues. The Tour of the Alps is expected to be his final test before the Giro.

“Last year I had a really strong build-up to the Giro, so the idea was to try and replicate it, maybe improving in the areas where it was needed,” Gee-West's said. “Hopefully, the results will prove me right.”

Only one Canadian has ever won a Grand Tour, when Ryder Hesjedal claimed the Giro in 2012, and Gee-West is not looking much further than incremental progress for now.

“Of course, when you finish fourth and you're close to the podium, you always hope to take that next step,” he said. “But the race changes, the rivals change, and you never know what can happen. I wouldn't be disappointed with another fourth.”

After a year marked by uncertainty, the Giro represents both a return to familiar ground and a chance to move forward again.