NEWS RELEASE
CANADIAN CYCLIST
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One first-time and one repeat winner were awarded the Canadian Cyclist of the Year titles for 2024, the 28th edition of these readers choice awards.
Isabella Holmgren was chosen as the top Female rider for her first time as an awardee, while Derek Gee was selected as the top Male rider for the second consecutive year. Both also won the Best Individual Performance awards, Gee for his stage victory at the Criterium du Dauphine, and Holmgren for her world championship title in the Mountain Bike XCO Under-23 Women's category.
Isabella Holmgren, from Orillia, Ontario, moved up to the Under-23 category in 2024 from Junior, and continued her incredible rise in cycling, winning two Mountain Bike world titles (XCO and XCC), as well as taking four World Cup wins and representing Canada at the Paris Olympics.
In Cyclo-cross, she won silver at the Continental Championships, was the national Elite champion, finished fourth in her first year as an Under-23 at the world championships and was in the top-20 four times at Elite World Cup events. She also proved her mettle in professional road cycling by finishing second overall at the Tour de l'Avenir, with three second place stage results, as well as winning the Climber's jersey, finishing second in the Youth competition and third in the Points competition.
Holmgren received 48.1% of first place votes, with two-time Junior Cyclo-coss World Cup winner Rafaelle Carrier of Lac-Beauport, Quebec, receiving 35.6%. In the Best Individual Performance competition, Holmgren took 30.6% of first place votes for her world title win, while Carrier finished second with 26.5% for her first Junior World Cup win.
"2024 was a great season," says Holmgren, currently preparing for the Cyclo-cross world championships in two weeks. "I'm lucky to have a team that supports me both on the road and on the mountain bike. A highlight of the year was definitely the Olympics, because I was selected alongside my brother (Gunnar, in men's mountain bike).
"A ton of family and friends came to watch and cheer for us, which made the whole experience even better. Racing and learning from my teammates on the road was also a great part of the year, and I'm excited to continue racing and growing with them. I've enjoyed my time on the bike throughout the whole year, and I'm looking forward to finding some new limits next season," said Holmgren.
Our men's winner, Derek Gee of Ottawa, became a household name in Canada in 2023 after an electrifying performance in the Giro d'Italia. He proved that that was no fluke by cementing his status in 2024 as Canada's best professional road stage racer.
This year his focus was the Tour de France - his first attempt at the biggest race in cycling. He cracked the top-10 overall with a ninth place result, only the third Canadian to ever finish in the top-10 at the Tour, and finished third on Stage 9. Prior to the Tour, he finished third overall at the Criterium du Dauphine stage race, with a stage win and three additional top-5 stage results, and wore the leader's jersey for a day. At the Paris Olympics he was 20th in the Time Trial and 44th in the Road Race. He finished the year 69th in world rankings.
Gee won the Male award with 39.5% of first place votes, followed by former CC Award winner Dylan Bibic of Milton, Ontario, at 25.1%. In the Best Individual Performance competition, Gee's stage win at Dauphine took 26.2% of first place votes, followed by former CC Award winner Mike Woods of Chelsea, Quebec, at 21.3% for his stage win at the Vuelta a Espana stage. race.
"Last year was a great season," says Gee from his European base in Girona, Spain, where he is preparing to start his 2025 season at the Gran Camino in Spain, in February. "[It] wasn't wholly expected, but hopefully I can keep building on it in 2025. Thank you to everyone who votes, I really appreciate it."
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