Star Metro - Canadian Gee joins Lidl-Trek, resolves dispute with ex-team

Gee, 28, said in October that Israel Premier Tech, now known as NSN Cycling Team after a takeover involving former Spain and Barcelona football star Andres Iniesta, were claiming damages of 30 million euros ($35 million) after he left them in August.

But NSN posted on X that the two parties had finalised an agreement to "conclude" Gee's contract with the team.

Gee had said in October that he had quit Israel PT with "just cause" due to his "personal-belief standpoint", with the team then owned by Israeli-Canadian billionaire Sylvan Adams -- a self-appointed ambassador to Israel, which has spent more than two years fighting Palestinian armed group Hamas in Gaza.

Gee finished fourth at last year's Giro d'Italia and departed Israel PT in August, just before they were heavily targeted by pro-Palestinian protesters at the Vuelta a Espana.

"From the outside, you can already see that this is an organisation operating very close to the gold standard in our sport, and that was something that really appealed to me," Gee said in a Lidl-Trek statement.

"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," he added.

Gee is a major stage race contender, having finished ninth at the Tour de France and third at the Criterium du Dauphine in 2024, and fourth at last year's Tirreno-Adriatico.

In November, Israel PT announced they were changing their name to NSN and would be based in Barcelona, although racing under a Swiss licence.

O.Lessard--SMC