Canadian cyclists Derek Gee, Riley Pickrell injured in separate crashes in Belgium
Surgery possible for 2021 Olympian Gee, who also hurt hand, sustained 'light concussion'
It was a rough weekend for Canadian cyclists in Belgium, as two suffered injuries in crashes in separate races.
On Saturday, Derek Gee was hurt when he crashed in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad one-day race in Belgium. Israel-Premier Tech, Gee's team, said the 26-year-old from Ottawa was forced out of the 202-kilometre race after suffering a non-displaced left collarbone fracture. Gee also sustained a left-hand contusion and "light concussion."
Then on Sunday, Gee's teammate, B.C.'s Riley Pickrell, sustained numerous broken bones when he crashed during the second Belgian Classic race of the season, the Kuurne–Brussels Kuurne.
Pickrell continued on for another 19 km before stopping with what the team said was a broken scapula and three fractured ribs.
Both will be reassessed in coming weeks, with surgery a possibility for Gee.
Gee joined the Israel Cycling Academy in early 2022 after turning heads in the final time trial at Gran Camino that February, clocking the fifth-fastest time against the World Tour-level field.
He stepped up to Israel-Premier Tech's World Tour team in May 2022.
Gee, who won the 2022 Canadian time trial national championship, is also an accomplished track cyclist, coming fifth in the team pursuit at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Canada's best Olympic result in the event since 1932. In 2019, he was part of the Canadian squad that finished fourth in the team pursuit at the UCI Track World Championships.
He signed a new contract last June with Israel-Premier Tech after placing second four times and fourth twice in the Giro d'Italia, honoured as "The Best 2023 Revelation Rider." in his first Grand Tour event.
