Canadian cyclist Derek Gee-West on Tuesday withdrew from the elite men’s road race, scheduled for this Sunday at the road world championships in Montreal, after hurting himself in a recent competition.
The 29-year-old from Osgoode, Ont., told Cycling Canada he continues to recover from a broken rib sustained at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal on Sept. 13.
“I’m gutted to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to represent Canada at our home world championships,” Gee, who was ninth in the 2024 Tour de France, said in a news release. “Unfortunately, the recovery from the crash at GP Montreal hasn’t been fast enough to put me in a place where I can race properly or contribute to the team and justify taking a spot at the start.
“I’m still looking forward to experiencing the worlds atmosphere in Montreal, but this time it’ll be [as a spectator].”
Gee-West’s injury didn’t appear serious at first, according to Canadian Cycling Magazine, which noted the athlete rode to the hotel after racing at GP Montreal and his Lidl-Trek team said his injuries were minor.
A few days later, he pulled out of the men’s elite individual time trial and mixed team relay at the world championships.
Three-time Canadian champion Guillaume Boivin will replace Gee-West in Sunday’s race.
The 37-year-old Boivin, from Longueil, Que., is a proven performer in major international races and one-day classics. He reached the medal podium at the U23 UCI Road World Championships in 2010 and at the 2015 Pan American Games.
Gee-West 2nd in brutal Giro d’Italia queen stage
“I appreciate Derek’s honesty in the situation, I know it’s very hard for him pulling out of a home worlds. I’m looking forward to it,” Boivin said. “I’m looking to have a good race and represent Canada well on home turf.”
In late May, Gee-West finished runner-up behind American rider Sepp Kuss on the so-called queen stage of the Giro d’Italia competition in Italy. He was fourth overall a year earlier to earn his best result at a Grand Tour.
Gee-West was 44th in the 2024 Olympic road race in Paris and top Canadian in the individual time trial, placing 20th.
Earlier Tuesday, Canada placed ninth of 15 teams in the mixed relay time trial, while victorious Italy knocked off two-time defending champions Australia.
The six-member Canadian team completed 40.6 kilometres with 290 metres of climbing in 53 minutes 39.96 seconds, 2:07.68 behind the Italians (51:32.28). France and Switzerland finished 2-3 for a second straight year. The French clocked 51:40.91 and Switzerland 51:52.18.
The Australians were fourth (52:12.76), a little more than eight seconds ahead of the fifth-placed Germans.
The absence of the Netherlands and Belgium on Tuesday opened the competition for medals.
Pier-André Côté, Michael Leonard and Nickolas Zukowsky rode the first 20.3 km for Canada, with Olivia Baril, Nadia Gontova and Alison Jackson completing the same course. The combined performance determined the final result.
Quebec’s Vallieres Mill has chance to make Canadian history at road cycling worlds
Each rider crossed the St Lawrence River to visit the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, home of the Formula 1 Grand Prix, before returning to the Old Montreal and heading to the uphill finish.
Two years ago, Canada was seventh in mixed relay team time trial in Zurich, its debut in the discipline at worlds since it was introduced in 2019.
How Magdeleine Vallieres Mill started her cycling journey
Tuesday’s mixed relay team time trial served as a transition between the individual time trials and road races that begin Thursday.
On Sunday, Marlen Reusser of Switzerland successfully defended her title in the women’s elite individual time trial with a near-perfect performance. Remco Evenepoel of Belgium topped the medal podium for the men, with Leonard of Oakville, Ont., 13th. Teammate Zukowsky, from Sainte-Lucie-des-Laurentides, Que., was 31st.
Marlen Reusser wins women’s elite individual time trial title in Montreal
Top cyclists from around globe descend on Montreal for road racing world championships
The UCI Road Cycling World Championships is one of the only professional road cycling races outside of the Olympic Games where athletes line up for their nations instead of their professional teams.
The event features 1,000 athletes from more than 75 countries. CBC Sports and CBC Gem has full coverage of the event.
Competition continues through Sunday in Montreal, which last hosted the world championships in 1974. It was the first time the event was held outside Europe.
This year’s event is part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.
In other Canadian results Tuesday:
2026 UCI Road World Championships: Team time trial mixed relay
