HIGH ACHIEVERS WEEKEND WRAP: Derek Gee, Carter de Veer record double-medal efforts at road cycling nationals

By Martin Cleary

Derek Gee of Osgoode, ON, has competed eight times in the men’s elite division at the Canadian road cycling championships, but he has never had a nationals quite like the 2025 edition in Saint-Georges, PQ.

And it’s all because of his steady growth, determination and results as an international cyclist on the world circuit, including two top-10 General Classification results in his three Grand Tour marathons since 2023.

For the second time in his career, Gee, 27, was a double medallist at the Canadian championships, but his rewards this time were far greater. Not only did he win the men’s elite road race by a significant margin Saturday night, but also he placed second in the individual time trial on Thursday.

Gee, who didn’t compete in nationals last year because of his focus on his debut appearances in the Tour de France and the Summer Olympic Games road cycling competitions, won the time trial in 2022 and 2023, but was unable to rebound with a similar podium placing in the road race.

At the 2021 nationals, he experienced his first double podium visit with third-place results in both the time trial and the road race. His other best nationals was in 2019 with a fourth in the time trial and a ninth in the road race. That was the last Canadian championships before the COVID-19 pandemic scrapped the 2020 version.

“I am unbelievably excited to wear the maple leaf for the next 12 months,” said Gee, who can now wear a special maple leaf jersey in future races to indicate he’s the current national champion.

“That’s something I have always envied when I have seen it on other people. So, I’m very excited to have that chance now.”

Gee covered the rainy 199.2-kilometre course in four hours, 40 minutes and 20 seconds, which allowed him to win by 3:44 over Hugo Houle, who was second in 4:44:04. Both Gee and Houle ride professionally for Israel-Premier Tech.

Teammate Michael Woods won the men’s elite road race at nationals in 2024. Woods was absent as he’s making his final preparations for his fifth Tour de France, which begins Saturday in Lille, France.

Gee made his decisive move to go for the win ahead of the fifth and final lap. As he started the last lap on the Saint-Georges course, he had a 90-second advantage. He rode solo for the final lap and continued to increase his lead.

“It was a super hard race in super miserable conditions, but we had a good team and we played the numbers,” Gee added. “We ended up getting in a breakaway with Hugo and myself and (teammate) Luke Valenti and we raced really well together.

“Michael Leonard from INEOS (Grenadiers) was in great form so we had to use the numbers to our advantage and I ended up going solo with about 70 kilometres to go. I managed to bring it home and Hugo made it a one-two so that was pretty special.”

Leonard, who is from Oakville, ON, and rides for the powerhouse INEOS team, won the time trial in 40:29.84, while Gee, a noted time-trial specialist who has developed into a quality General Classification rider, was 34.84 seconds back in 41:04.60 for 34 kilometres.

Ottawa’s Carter de Veer had a similar, but a reverse double-medal nationals to Gee in the boys’ U17 category.

The Team Ontario cyclist won his individual time trial over 28 kilometres in 38:37.89 for a margin of victory of 1:07.60. He also placed second in the 114.8-kilometre road race in 2:46:41, which left him 23 seconds behind Team Quebec’s Zachari Moreau.

Racing for the French amateur team UVCA Troyes, Addison Frank of Ottawa was fifth overall in the women’s U23 and elite criterium race. She battled hard for her position in the overall standings as the top 31 racers were all given the same time of 1:08.02. Frank, 19, posted the second-best time among U23 cyclists.

She also posted two other top-10 results with a sixth in the women’s U23 time trial in 44:19.2 over 28 kilometres, and a 10th among U23 athletes and 24th overall in the women’s U23/elite road race in 3:18:01 for 114.8 kilometres.

CC Les Cuisses Or de l’Outaouais riders Mahee Mignault and Lea De Broeck were fourth and sixth respectively in the women’s U17 road race over 86.7 kilometres in 2:34:52 and 2:35:01.

Skyler Groudswaard of The Cyclery placed fourth in the women’s U23/elite criterium in 1:08.02 and was ninth in the women’s elite time trial in 41:56.33.

Cyclery teammate Emily Driedger was fifth in the women’s elite time trial in 40:52.00, while Ottawa’s Lucy Hempstead of Classified Rose took the seventh spot in 41:06.74.

Ottawa’s Carson Miles of Team Marni-N’Side was sixth in the men’s elite time trial in 44:34.77.

Jon Mercier of Ride with Rendall P/B Biemme placed sixth in the 114.8-kilometre men’s U17 road race in 2:56:13 and was ninth in the combined U17/junior criterium in 52:57 over 41.6 kilometres.

Ottawa Bicycle Club’s Isabel Holt scored a pair of 10th-place results in the women’s U17 time trial in 29:11.36 over 16 kilometres and the 86.7-kilometre road race in 2:43:57.

CANADA TOPFLIGHT ACADEMY GRAD SPARKS CANADIAN WINS

Ottawa’s Adriel Nyorha made Canada’s starting lineup for the first two games of the FIBA U19 Men’s Basketball World Cup 2025 in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The Canada Topflight Academy grad made solid contributions as Canada defeated China 80-72 and Slovenia 82-63. A win over Germany in its final scheduled preliminary pool game would automatically put Canada in the quarterfinals.

Nyorha played 27 minutes and 57 seconds against China and had eight rebounds, six points and three assists. In the game against Slovenia, he counted seven points and two rebounds over 12:05 of floor time.

FOUR LOCAL WATER POLO PLAYERS NAMED TO CANADA’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM

Four Ottawa-Gatineau players have been named to the Canadian men’s water polo team for the World Aquatics championships July 11 to Aug. 3 in Singapore.

Ottawa Titans’ Bogdan Djerkovic has been named the Canadian team captain for the worlds, which will see Canada play the United States, Singapore and Brazil in its pool matches.

The other local players are past Titan Aleksa Gardijan of the Gatineau Water Polo Club, Ottawa’s Andrej Gavric of the Titans and Gatineau’s David Lapins of the Titans.

“These athletes have made tremendous sacrifices to compete at this level and I’m eager to see how they will rise to the occasion on the world stage,” Djerkovic said about this “relatively new group” of national team players.

KEEPING TRACK OF WHAT YESTERDAY’S AMATEURS ARE DOING

A number of years ago, they were some of the best amateur athletes in the city, but they have moved on to make a solid living in their sport. Let’s see what they are up to now.

· Not surprisingly, Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, ON, has committed to playing in the 51st CPKC Women’s Open golf championship Aug. 20-24 at the Mississauga Golf and Country Club. Henderson, a CPKC ambassador and the 2018 champion, was one of several early LPGA players to register early. Canada’s largest women’s golf championship has attracted 15 of the top 25 players on the Rolex World Golf Ranking so far.

· Gabriela Dabrowski of Gloucester and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand will play their first women’s doubles match this week at The Championships at Wimbledon against China’s Xinyu Wang and Saisai Zheng. Dabrowski, who has returned to the WTA circuit after dealing with a rib injury, and Routliffe were the Wimbledon women’s doubles runners-up in 2024.

· At age 38, Ottawa cyclist Michael Woods will be looking for stage victories at his fifth Tour de France and his focus will sharpen once the Grand Tour reaches the sixth stage, where the marathon challenge moves into the mountains. “The level is so high. The risks are so big, but the rewards are so incredible,” Woods said. “Winning a stage there in 2023 was the crowning achievement of my career. Given the level of excitement around the win and the support I’ve received since I achieved it, I can say it changed my life. For all those reasons, I can say I’m looking forward to the tour.”

· The Gold Cup didn’t turn out to be golden for Ottawa soccer player Jonathan David. While David did score for Canada off a penalty kick, which was his national record-extending 36th goal in 67 appearances, No. 30-ranked Canada lost to No. 106 Guatemala 6-5 in a penalty shootout. The game ended 1-1 in regulation time. Canada was down to 10 men on the field after Jacob Shaffelburg picked up two yellow cards and an ejection in the first half. A free agent, David is considering offers from several club and Juventus may have the inside edge.

LAST, BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST

· Gatineau’s Pamphinette Buisa of the Ottawa Irish and Cornwall’s Madison Grant, formerly of the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees, have been named to Canada’s women’s rugby team for international matches against South Africa on Saturday in Pretoria and July 12 in Gqeberha. The games are part of Canada’s preparation for this year’s Rugby World Cup.

· McGill University’s Catherine Chenier-Gagnon of Gatineau will represent Canada in women’s rowing double sculls with the University of Victoria’s Pepper Howe of Saskatoon at the FISU Summer World University Games July 16-27 in the Rhine-Ruhr region of Germany.