(Sportcom) – Ontario rider Derek Gee (Israel – Premier Tech) had good times in the first two days of the Critérium du Dauphiné. Hugo Houle’s teammate continued his momentum during the third stage on Tuesday and secured the first victory of his career on the World Tour circuit.

After the peloton joined the breakaway of three cyclists just over two kilometers from the finish, Krists Neilands was the first member of Israel – Premier Tech to attack on the final climb with 650 meters to go. The Latvian was quickly caught and then Derek Gee surprised the rest of the group, attacking in turns.

Frenchman Romain Grégoire (Groupama – FDJ) tried in vain to follow the Canadian. Gee beat his closest rival by a cycling distance. This victory allows him to get his hands on the leader’s jersey after finishing 17th in the first stage and 20th the next day.

“It’s an incredible win! I’ve finished second quite a few times, this time I really wanted to get a win. The plan wasn’t really to go for a stage win, but at the end of the race I felt like I had the legs and I took my chance. It’s a great bonus to be able to start tomorrow with the yellow jersey [mercredi]», announced the winner in a television interview after the race.

Remember, Gee particularly excelled at the Tour of Italy last year, finishing second four times. He finished 22nd overall and was second in both the best climbers ranking and the points classification. However, his start to the season was hampered by a broken collarbone that sidelined him for several weeks this spring.

“We were all very happy for Derek, it was a very impressive win for him. We worked well together as a team, it’s a great day for Israel – Premier Tech and he gives us the energy to start the second part of the Dauphiné,” commented Hugo Houle. The Quebecer supported his teammates until the last kilometer. He finally finished in 71st place (+1 minute 21 seconds).

“What Derek did in the Giro last year was extraordinary. It requires impressive physical skills and not everyone can do that. Today’s win confirms his momentum and form. You don’t win a Dauphiné stage by chance, he is very good tactically and is constantly improving,” he added.

In the provisional overall ranking of the Critérium du Dauphiné, Gee has a lead of three seconds over the Dane Magnus Cort (Uno-X Mobility), the winner of the second stage presented the day before.

The Critérium du Dauphiné continues on Wednesday with the presentation of an individual time trial over 34.4 kilometers between Saint-Germain-Laval and Neulise.

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