While Canada was scouting the mixed relay course for the World Championships, Derek Gee had a sinking feeling that we would soon be seeing a lot more of this grueling course that loops through the mountains behind Zurich.

“I was scouting with the TTT in mind, and all of a sudden I thought, 'Wait a minute, this is a road race course too. Sunday's race is going to be interesting.”

Gee and his crew finished seventh in their mixed relay debut, but the Canadian contingent will have higher ambitions in Sunday's road race, which will be led by Michael Woods. Woods, a bronze medalist in Innsbruck six years ago, came to Switzerland buoyed by a stage victory in Puerto de Anchares at the Vuelta a España. [He won a stage at Puerto de Ancares in the Vuelta a España. He's coming off a stage win in the Vuelta, and he's motivated. He's won medals at the world championships before, and it's a really hard course.”

The 273-km course in Zurich is the toughest since the 2020 Imola World Championships and may prove even tougher in practice. There are few obvious rest points on the 27km finish course over the Zurich Bergstrasse and Vitikornerstrasse climbs, and Gee expects the pack to be cut down considerably toward the final lap.

“It's hard to compare it to the Montreal GP, which has a similar elevation gain, but there are some really hard, steep climbs here.

“It's going to be a real slow burn. There is nowhere to rest. You can save your team, but there will be riders coming up from behind every lap before the race even starts. Even the descents are pretty technical, especially with the peloton lined up. It's really going to be an exhausting, mind-numbing race.”

Tadei Pogachar is the overwhelming favorite in this world championship, looking to add a rainbow band to the yellow and pink jerseys he has already won this year. It's a course that favors the stronger riders because they can't hide,” he said. But as the laps begin to count down, the World Championships sometimes take on a logic of their own.

“I think everyone knows who the favorite to win is and how he wants things to unfold.

“Especially when the rainbow jersey is on the line, teams are more likely to throw something against the wall and see what sticks.

Gee, who made a splash at last year's Giro d'Italia with his aggressiveness as a neo-pro, enjoyed a stunning second season at this level in 2024. His spring campaign was interrupted by a broken collarbone in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, but he made up for it in the summer, finishing third overall at the Criterium du Dauphiné and ninth on GC in his debut Tour de France.

Like many athletes in this Olympic year, Gee struggled to find the same form later in the season. His only races between the Paris Olympics and the Zurich World Championships were on the home roads of the World Tour races in Quebec and Montreal, and for an athlete who spent most of his 20s focused on track events, this is part of the learning curve.

“It was difficult to get my legs back again in the second half of the season. It was a big load to put together the high altitude camp, the Dauphiné, and the Tour,” he said. There are so many little things you learn each season.”

No matter how Gee's season ends, the thought of the Purple Patch in June and July will carry the 27-year-old through the winter into 2025. Said he, “I always hope that will be the new baseline from which we can build on.” [So did the second half of last season after the Giro. We didn't get those legs back until this season. It's tough, but it also motivates me for the next few years.” [Unlimited access to all coverage of the 2024 UCI Road World Championships, including breaking news and analysis from local journalists, including junior, under-23 and elite time trials and road races. Details.