As it happened: Bunch sprint decides stage 12 of the Giro d’Italia

It's a first stage win of this Giro for Kooij, living up to his billing as the fastest sprinter at race. It's also his first victory of any kind since crashing out at Gent-Wevelgem.

That was a brilliant lead out by Van Aert. Despite starting it early, he still had the lead going round the final corner, positioning Kooij well enough so he could wait in the slipstream until Van Uden passed him, saving energy to pip him at the line.

Van Uden was 2nd, Turner 3rd, and Pedersen in the purple jersey in 4th.

But Kooij latched on to Van Uden's wheel, then timed his effort perfectly to come past him at the line.

Kooij had the prime position round the last corner on Van Aert's wheel, but looked in danger when Van Uden sprinted early and held the lead.

KOOIJ WINS

Kooij comes past Van Uden just in time to take the win!

Van Uden sprinrs early

Van Aert leads round the final corner.

Van Aert leads, with Kooij on his wheel. He's started his lead out very early.

1KM TO GO

Visma lead the peloton into the final km.

There's been a crash, near the back of the peloton.

Now Visma come through. Van Aert is poised to do a lead out...

Movistar take over under the 2km to go banner.

Lidl still lead with 2 riders leading out Pedersen.

We're through the 3km to go mark, much to the GC riders' relief. Now it's all about the sprinters.

A couple of Movistar riders are vying for control with Lidl, working for Aular.

Without wanting to tempt fate, there hasn't been a crash all day.

5KM TO GO

Lidl take over, with Pedersen 3rd in line.

They haven't taken over at the front though, with EF, Visma and Lidl all ahead of them.

A big move here from Alpecin, who have formed a 6-man train for Groves on the right-hand side of the road.

An EF rider leads the peloton through a narrowing of the road.

The pace is really high as we approach the finish, the peloton starting to string out.

10KM TO GO

Those same three teams all have the edge at the front for now.

EF and Soudal are challenging Visma. 

The road is still quite wide allowing for lots of teams to ride at the front, but Visma are the best-represented with four or five men.

Picnic-PostNL have lots of riders near the front, trying to set Van Uden up for what would be a second stage win.

15KM TO GO

Soudal-QuickStep lead the peloton as they swing into a corner and the road narrows. 

The road is wide, allowing for about 9 different sprint trains at the front. Lots of teams are wanting to get involved.

20KM TO GO

Alpecin and Q36.5 are jostling with Lidl for supremacy at the front. The sprinters teams are taking over from the GC teams.

Lidl and Cofidis are also now getting involved. They haven’t put men at the front all day, but are now seeking out the stage win for their respective sprinters Pedersen and Fretin.

There are lots of trains now vying for space at the front of the peloton, including GC teams like Ineos, EF and Bahrain-Victorious.

Chapeau to the three riders in the day’s break, who have each had a long day in the saddle. 

Pietrobon is caught, just as he crosses the finish line for the first time. He and the peloton hear the bell, signalling the start of the circuit back to the finish.

30KM TO GO

Heiduk has been brought back by the peloton, but Pietrobon is still out there, with an 8 second lead. 

Tiberi tried to take on Del Toro in the sprint, but couldn't go past him. That means Del Toro increases his lead on GC to 33 seconds on Ayuso in 2nd and 1-09 to Tiberi in 3rd.

Heiduk's teammate Bernal was out of position, so presumably Ineos thought it best if he swallowed up some points to prevent their rivals getting them.

Pietrobon holds on to take first, Heiduk 2nd, and Del Toro takes the two remaining seconds in the peloton in 3rd.

Ineos' Heyduk has jumped out of the peloton, trying to sweep up those seconds.

Ayuso and Del Toro are right towards the front, being led out by their teammates.

1km to go until the bonus second sprint. 6 seconds are on offer for 1st, 4 for 2nd and 2 for 3rd. 

The break has been caught just in time for the bonus seconds at the Red Bull kilometre to come into play. The GC riders are already moving to the front in anticipation of it.

Tarozzi and Epis are caught, but Pietrobon has pressed on to survive a few more moments. That effort should earn him the combativity award.

The catch is about to be made, with the breakaway trio only a few seconds ahead.

40KM TO GO

20 seconds is the gap, as the peloton holds back. That'll change soon regardless of the wind, as the sprinters teams start preparing their trains.

While the wind hasn’t really materialised, there’s still the threat of more rain, with dark clouds looming over the peloton.

The pace has knocked off again in the peloton. The breakaway riders looked like they were about to be caught when Jayco moved to the front, but have grown their lead out again to over 20 seconds.

Ayuso is back in the peloton.

Behind, Filippo Baroncini has dropped back to pace Ayuso back to the peloton. He's nearly there now.

The Jayco-led peloton can now see the three leaders, who are just 12 seconds ahead.

50KM TO GO

There’s been a change at the front of the peloton with Jayco taking over with a long line of riders.

So far Ayuso is making his way through the cars, with no teammate having dropped back to help him.

It should be relatively simple for him to get back into the peloton, but this still reveals something about UAE’s tricky situation at this Giro - with Del Toro in pink, Ayuso isn’t their outright leader. How much support will he get?

Ayuso has had to change bikes, with some kind of mechanical problem.

Pietrobon again went early at the intermediate sprint in order to try and seal the points, just as he did at the last one But this time he’s pipped to the line by Epis.

The gap’s really coming down now, to just 45 seconds. There’s more intensity now in the peloton, as they fight for position just in case of any crosswind action.

60KM TO GO

Visma and Decathlon's pace has been enough to see the gap to the leaders to come down a little, to just over one minute. 

Here are the updated KOM rankings, after the day’s final climb:

1 Fortunato 157

2 Ayuso 54

3 Tarozzi 50

4 Double 36

4 Del Toro 30

Decathlon have placed a rider at the front, ahead of the Visma train. Nobody is pressing on just yet.

Pedersen is back in the peloton.

Mads Pedersen is in a group just off the back of the peloton, having dropped back for a comfort break earlier. He’s having to put some effort in to rejoin.

This is interesting. Visma-Lease a Bike have taken control at the front, and Wout van Aert is leading. There does seem to be some anticipation of strong winds now they are on the flat, exposed section of the stage.

70KM TO GO

As the riders descend the climb, the gap is 1-22. Soon they will begin the long, flat run-in to the finish at Viadana, which could get interesting if the wind blows...

Visma and Alpecin lead the peloton over the top, 1-15 later.

KOM - BORSEA

Tarozzi leads the break over the summit, taking the maximum points uncontested. 

Pedersen certainly isn't concerned by the pace on the climb. He's just stopped for a nature break.

All the sprinters who are favourites for the stage win are still present in the peloton, however. 

Alpecin are also aiding Visma at the front of the peloton, and setting a fast tempo. Some riders are off the back of the peloton, while the gap has gone down to 1-20. 

Steven Kruijswijk leads the peloton on the climb, controlling things for Visma’s sprinter Kooij. It’s unlikely anyone will attack, given how far this climb is from the finish and how flat the terrain is after it, but he’s making sure with a steady pace.

80KM TO GO

The breakaway start the climb of Borsea, with a slightly increased lead of 1:55. 

The upcoming climb is quite a tricky one, averaging 5.5% for 3.9km, including a ramp in the middle of 9%.

Tarozzi isn't as confident as Epis and Pietrobon on the descent. He's dropped behind them by a few seconds.

90KM TO GO

Just 1-37 for the three leaders as they take on the descent. 

The riders are about to start descending, to the foot of the net and final categorised climb. Conditions haven’t gotten worse, so the roads shouldn’t be too wet.

100KM TO GO

The road continues to undulate as the riders make their way along this long plateau. The terrain hasn’t had an effect on the gap, which remains at just over two minutes.

Pedersen is back in the peloton, having received some help from Lidl teammate Mosca.

Mechanical for Mads Pedersen. There's no panic as he takes his time getting it fixed.

Here’s the updated points classification:

1 Pedersen 156

2 Tonelli 64

3 Kooij 55

4 Del Toro 54

5 Van Uden 50

110KM TO GO

The gap's gone down some more, to 1-30. The peloton are keeping things under control without having to exert themselves much.

Back in the peloton, Pedersen is allowed to go off the front to claim more points for himself, while nobody else in the peloton sprints for them. 

Pietrebon went for a long one to make sure he got the maximum points at the intermediate sprint, and just about held off the challenge from Epis. Pietrebon’s teammate Tonelli is second in the points classification.

There are a lot of Decathlon riders in formation at the front of the peloton, suggesting Sam Bennett fancies his chances. The team talked up the Irishman’s chances going into the race, but he hasn’t really had an impact so far, his best finish being 6th in Lecce. With four wins to his name going into the race, he still has the potential to put himself back in the mix for the win.

The riders are on a short descent, and taking things very carefully. There are gaps between the three breakaway riders as they give themselves room.

120KM TO GO

The gap's gone up a bit, to just over two minutes.

The gap between the leaders and the peloton has dipped to below two minutes. Still it's the same three teams setting the pace - Visma, Alpecin and Decathlon.

Rather than descend from the top of the climb, the riders will instead travel along a plateau for about 40km. That will spare them the worry of descending on damp roads.

By picking up those nine points, Tarozzi moves up to third in the KOM rankings:

1 Fortunato 157

2 Ayuso 54

3 Tarozzi 41

4 Double 36

5 Del Toro 30

Fortunato led the peloton over the top to pick up the one remaining point available. 

130KM TO GO

The peloton summit the climb, 2-10 after the leading trio.

KOM - BAISO

The break reach the top of the climb, with Tarozzi going over first uncontested. 

That threat of rain is indeed materialising, with a few drops starting to fall.

The weather is dry for now, but there are grey clouds and a looming threat of the heavens opening. That would complicate matters.

The gap’s holding steady as they slowly make their way up this climb, at 2:12.

Primož Roglič has needed a bike change following a mechanical. The Slovenian has been in the wars these past few days, hitting the deck twice, but still remains fifth on GC.

Although mostly flat, the stage isn’t without some complications, and the riders are currently on the first of two categorised climbs. It rises at 3.3% for 9km.

140KM TO GO

The gap's come down these past few kilometres, to 2-20. The peloton aren't giving this trio even a hint of some hope at the moment. 

As claimed by Pedersen at the start, his Lidl-Trek team aren’t among those working at the front of the peloton. While he has been brilliant at this Giro and won three stages, in the pure sprints (like today is expected to be) he hasn't been quite so imperious, finishing fourth in Lecce and opting not to sprint in Naples.

Here's Isaac del Toro at the start, about to begin his third day in the pink jersey. After Tuesday's time trial, and Wednesday's stage in the mountains, this will be the first time he can really relax and enjoy the jersey, without having to worry about the possibility of losing it.

150KM TO GO

The teams leading the peloton are doing just enough to keep the gap at three minutes, after nearly half an hour of racing.

The teams doing the work are Groves’ Alpecin-Deceuninck, Kooij’s Visma-Lease a Bike, and Bennett’s Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale.

With the gap grown to three minutes, the sprinters' teams have moved to the front of the peloton and began contrlling the pace. 

The riders at the start in Modena, while in the neutralised zone. 

160KM TO GO

Already the gap has grown to 2-30. No team has taken control of the peloton yet. 

Mechanical for Richard Carapaz, but no need to panic in such a calm atmosphere. 

The speed with which that break was formed, and the paucity of riders interested in getting into it, reveals how little faith riders have in it surviving to the finish today. There are a few difficulties on the route, but this really should be a sprint finish today.

The peloton sit up and comfort breaks are taken, while the gap grows to a minute already. We have our break of the day.

The three riders are: 

Giosuè Epis (Arkéa - B&B Hotels)

Manuele Tarozzi (VF Group - Bardiani CSF - Faizanè)

Andrea Pietrobon (Polti VisitMalta)

These three riders look like they will be the day's break.

Riders from Arkéa, Polti and Bardiani have gone clear, and already the sprinter teams are drawn out across the road slowing the peloton.

It's not just the usual wildcard team suspects getting involved, but also riders from Astana and Groupama. 

Ten riders attack straight away, but Visma aren't happy with that big a group, and shut it down.

OFFICIAL START

And we're off!

We're still waiting for a few more riders to return to the peloton before starting. 

The stage has been delayed a few moments, as Kaden Groves makes his way back to the bunch after a mechanical. Better to have one during the first kilometre than the final kilometre.

Along with Groves, Olav Kooij is probably the quickest finisher when given the chance to sprint. Having finished second behind Casper van Uden on stage four in Lecce, he lost the wheel of lead-out man Wout van Aert in Naples, but could benefit from the Belgian’s work now he’s beginning to find his top form again.

The riders are on the move, leaving the unofficial start in Modena and awaiting the flag. 

So if not Pedersen, who is the favourite for the stage win? 

The last bunch sprint in Naples saw Kaden Groves triumph, showing a serious turn of speed to take the win ahead of Milan Fretin and Paul Magnier. The Australian tends to remain strong deep into Grand Tours, too, with four of his nine career stage wins coming in either the second and third week.

Despite having already won three stages at this Giro, Pedersen played down his chances in a pre-race interview, and claimed Lidl-Trek won’t be controlling the peloton. “I know I’m not the best sprinter, so why should we catch the breakaway?” he told TNT Sports. “It’s completely up to the other teams. You won’t see us pulling at all.”

Mads Pedersen put on the Maglia Ciclamino at yesterday’s podium ceremony for the eleventh consecutive stage at the Giro, and currently holds a huge lead of 89 points of Alessandro Tonelli, and 98 points over the next genuine contender, Olav Kooij. 

As a stage predominantly flat, this could be a rare chance for purer sprinters like Kooij to at least close some of that seemingly-insurmountable gap.

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Here's a look at the stage 12 map.

2025 Giro d'Italia stage 12 preview - A day for the sprinters in Viadana

Points leader Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) will be looking for a fourth stage win, Visma-Lease a Bike will be looking for a sprint win with Olav Kooij, and look out for other strong sprinters Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Casper van Uden (Picnic PostNL), Sam Bennett (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Orluis Aular (Movistar), Maikel Zijlaard (Tudor), and Corbin Strong (Israel-Premier Tech).

It's a day for the sprinters today, a week on from their last showdown on stage 6 in Naples.

Hello and welcome to stage 12 of the Giro d'Italia!