Confirmed: Derek Gee Signs Blockbuster Deal with Lidl-Trek after Ugly Contract Dispute

Derek Gee-West has successfully split from his former Israel-Premier Tech team and signed with Lidl-Trek through 2028.

The German squad confirmed Tuesday that Gee will join Mads Pedersen, Juan Ayuso, and Jonathan Milan at its budding super team.

The news ends a messy contract saga for Gee.

The Canadian star was slapped with a $30 million legal claim by Israel-Premier Tech after he sought to terminate his contract last winter due to “personal beliefs.” Gee’s deal with the now-rebranded NSN Cycling Team was due to run through 2028.

On Tuesday, NSN confirmed in a short statement it “finalized an agreement, approved by the UCI” to conclude the contract.

Gee hails Lidl-Trek as ‘close to the gold standard’

“It’s pretty special to be joining Lidl-Trek,” Gee said Tuesday in a release from his new team.

“From the outside, you can already see that this is an organization operating very close to the gold standard in our sport, and that was something that really appealed to me,” he said.

“The ambition, the structure, and the depth of talent across the team are impressive, and it feels like the right environment for the next phase of my career.”

Gee finished fourth at the 2025 Giro d’Italia and has hit a top-10 at the Tour de France. The 28-year-old will provide Lidl-Trek a crucial second leader in the GC department alongside fellow new signing Ayuso.

With Ayuso confirmed for the Tour de France, it’s expected that Gee will lead his new team into the 2026 corsa rosa.

“I’m really looking forward to racing with shared ambitions and multiple options within the team,” Gee said.

“Lidl-Trek has world-class riders across so many areas of the sport, and being part of a group where we can play different cards in stage races and grand tours is something new for me,” he said. “I’m excited to learn from that, to keep developing as a GC rider, and to see what we can achieve together over the coming years.”

Gee and IPT: The latest high-profile contract termination

Gee is just the latest rider to make a high-profile contract termination this winter.

Ayuso, Remco Evenepoel, Oscar Onley, and Cian Uijtdebroeks also untangled themselves from ongoing deals to switch teams for 2026.

The news Tuesday was long expected after journalists Ciro Scognamilio and Daniel Benson both recently dug up rumors of Gee and Trek’s negotiations.

“Bringing Derek on board is a big boost for us,” said team GM Luca Guercilena. “Over the last three years he has shown an incredibly high level in stage races, and we’re sure we haven’t even seen his limit yet.

“Derek will have the full support of our performance resources to fully realize his potential. As a team, we have big goals across the entire season, and recruiting Derek brings us one step closer to achieving them.”

Gee completes Lidl-Trek’s 30-rider roster for 2026.