Derek Gee enters 2026 with a new surname and a new team : the Canadian has added his wife Ruby's surname 'West' to his own and is ready to fight with the new Lidl-Trek jersey, after the troubled vicissitudes with Israel, which inflamed the second part of his 2025.

The Canadian champion will be the overall leader at the next Giro d'Italia; the 1997-born rider is coming off a solid fourth-place finish last year as a consistent rider and will therefore be aiming for the podium.

Lidl-Trek, despite Ayuso, Skjelmose and Pedersen going to the Tour , will present themselves at the Giro with a very strong and versatile team: in addition to Gee for the general classification, there will be Milan for the sprints, Nys for the rolling stages and Ciccone for the breakaways and climbers' jersey.

Obviously, many things could change between now and May, but the intentions and plans of the Lidl-Trek riders already seem well defined.