The rider

Derek Gee-West arrives at Lidl-Trek as the late addition that changes the geometry of their GC project. The tall Canadian's exit from Israel-Premier Tech was surrounded by legal noise, but the sporting logic is easier to read: he has become too good to treat as a curiosity. Fifth at the Giro, relentless attacks in the final week, and a growing ability to absorb three-week pressure make him one of the most valuable support riders in the race, even before considering his own ambitions.

Officially, his Tour role is to help Ayuso. In practice, he gives Lidl-Trek a third mountain card alongside Ayuso and Skjelmose, which makes the team much harder to control. Gee-West can ride tempo, follow dangerous moves, and force rivals to decide whether a Canadian in the break is a helper up the road or a GC threat gathering time. That ambiguity matters. It allows Lidl-Trek to race with more dimensions than a single-leader train, especially on stages where UAE and Visma expect everyone else to be predictable.

His style is built on refusal. Gee-West does not look like a traditional featherweight climber, but he keeps coming back after efforts that seem too expensive to repeat. That made him a cult figure at the Giro and could make him a Tour factor immediately. If Ayuso is strong, Gee-West becomes a devastating satellite rider. If the race cracks open, he is dangerous enough to chase a stage, a high overall place, or both. The transfer drama may fade quickly once the road tilts upward.