Sometimes you get things wrong, but sometimes it\u2019s good news! On Monday, Canadian Cycling Magazine posted a bummer of a story saying that for the first time since 2018, there wouldn\u2019t be a Canadian racing at the men\u2019s Tour de France.<\/p>\n
But now, it seems that Osgoode, Ont.\u2019s Derek Gee-West will be heading to Spain for the Grand D\u00e9part 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<\/a>, who just won the national TT title in Saint-Georges, Que.<\/p>\n From Beauce to Barcelona<\/p>\n It seems that Giulio Ciccone is no longer racing the Tour, and Gee-West is replacing him.<\/p>\n Travelling from Canada isn\u2019t totally ideal before a Grand Tour, so this most likley wasn\u2019t planned far in advance. But either way, great to see Gee-West at the Tour.<\/p>\n \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6 Derek Gee-West<\/p>\n \u270d\ufe0f hand drawn by Fette pic.twitter.com\/nlRcgqjyY8<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Lidl-Trek (@LidlTrek) June 29, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n This will be his first year doing two Grand Tours\u2014he was supposed to do the Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a in 2025, after also doing the Giro d\u2019Italia, but, well, you know what happened.<\/a><\/p>\n As far as his role in the race, it sounds like he won\u2019t be shooting for his own ambitions. In a statement from his WorldTour outfit, Juan Ayuso remains the clear leader for the overall.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter a successful Giro d\u2019Italia, Derek Gee-West continues to be one of the sport\u2019s strongest all-round stage racers and will be crucial in the mountains, while Carlos Verona adds vital experience and climbing prowess,\u201d the German team posted.<\/p>\n Ayuso said that he is fully focused on making the podium at this year\u2019s Tour.<\/p>\n \u201cThe goal is obviously to be on one step on the podium of Paris. It\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019t be too crazy until the weekend of the second week. There and throughout the last week the GC will be decided,\u201d the Spaniard said.<\/p>\n