Back to 2012 Giro page | Stage 12 map and profile | Photos from stage 12 |

Stage 12, Thursday, May 17: Seravezza - Sestri Levante, 157 km

The Race: An excellent day of bike racing! A small group established themselves as the day's break about 50 kilometers into the stage. As their lead slowly grew, it was clear that Katusha, the team of maglia rosa Joaquin Rodriguez, was not going to burn itself out defending his lead. For a lot of the stage Sandy Casar was the virtual leader. Ivan Basso's Liquigas squad finally took thinks in hand and reduced the gap to the point that Casar's virtual lead was looking iffy.

Big Lars Ytting Bak had been having trouble staying with the break on the climbs, but he did manage to make contact on the final descent. Then, surprising no one, he made a couple of attacks and as Casar and Andrey Amador (who also had a hope to take Pink Jersey) looked at each other, Bak steamed off for the stage win. Between the jockeying among the break members and the growing speed of the peloton, Casar's hopes to ride tomorrow's stage in pink evaporated. Joaquin Rodriguez remains the overall leader.

Results:

1. Lars Ytting Bak (Lotto-Belisol) 3hr 58min 55sec. 38.925 km/hr

2. Sandy Casar (FDJ-Big Mat) @ 11sec
3. Andrey Amador (Movistar) s.t.
4. Jan Bakelants (Radio Shack-Nissan) s.t.
5. Ivan Santaromita (BMC) s.t.
6. Jackson Rodriguez (Androni) s.t.
7. Amets Txurruka (Euskaltel)
8. Martijn Keizer (Vacansoleil) @ 43sec
9. Michal Golas (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) @ 48sec
10. Juan Antonio Flecha (Sky) @ 3min 34sec
11. Giovanni Visconti (Movistar) s.t.
12. Ben Hermans (Radio Shack-Nissan) s.t.
13. Sergey Lagutin (Vacansoleil) s.t.
14. Jan Barta (NetApp) s.t.
15. Serge Pauwels (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) s.t.
16. Julien Vermote (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) s.t.
17. Matthias Brandle (NetApp) s.t.
18. Cesare Benedetti (NetApp) s.t.
19. Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Barracuda) s.t.
20. Thomas De Gendt (Vacansoleil) s.t.
21. Frank Schleck (Radio Shack-Nissan) s.t.

22. Damiano Caruso (Liquigas) s.t.
23. Diego Ulissi (Lampre) s.t.
24. Roman Kreuziger (Astana) s.t.
25. Dario Cataldo (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) s.t.
26. Daniel Moreno (Katusha) s.t.
27. Daniele Pietropolli (Lampre) s.t.
28. Michele Scarponi (Lampre) s.t.
29. Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha) s.t.
30. Eros Capecchi (Liquigas) s.t.
31. Tom Jelte Slagter (Rabobank) s.t.
32. Damiano Cunego (Lampre) s.t.
33. Sergio Pardilla (Movistar) s.t.
34. Kevin Seeldrayers (Astana) s.t.
35. Grischa Niermann (Rabobank) s.t.
36. Marzio Bruseghin (Movistar) s.t.
37. Paolo Tiralongo (Astana) s.t.
38. Francis De Greef (Lotto-Belisol) s.t.
39. Hubert Dupont (Ag2r) s.t.
40. Ivan Basso (Liquigas) s.t.
41. José Rujano (Androni Giocattoli) s.t.
42. Juan Manuel Garate (Rabobank) s.t.
43. Tanel Kangert (Astana) s.t.
44. Gustav Erik Larsson (Vacansoleil) s.t.
45. Stefano Locatelli (Colnago-CSF) s.t.
46. Stefano Pirazzi (Colnago-CSF) s.t.
47. John Gadret (Ag2r) s.t.
48. Mikel Nieve (Euskaltel) s.t.
49. Bart De Clercq (Lotto-Belisol) s.t.
50. Juan José Oroz (Euskaltel) s.t.

GC after Stage 12:

1. Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha) 51hr 19min 8sec
2. Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Barracuda) @ 17sec
3. Sandy Casar (FDJ-Big Mat) @ 26sec
4. Paolo Tiralongo (Astana) @ 32sec
5. Ivan Santaromita (BMC) @ 49sec
6. Roman Kreuziger (Astana) @ 52sec
7. Benat Intxausti (Movistar) s.t.
8. Ivan Basso (Liquigas) @ 57sec
9. Damiano Cauruzo (Liquigas) @ 2min 2sec
10. Dario Cataldo (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) @ 1min 3sec
11. Eros Capecchi (Liquigas) @ 1min 9sec
12. Rigoberto Uran (Sky) @ 1min 10sec
13. Michele Scarponi (Lampre) @ 1min 11sec
14. Domenico Pozzovivo (Colnago-CSF) @ 1min 12sec
15. Sergio Henao (Sky) @ 1min 27sec
16. Damiano Cunego (Lampre) @ 1min 37sec
17. Bartosz Huzarski (NetApp) @ 1min 48sec
18. Sergio Pardilla (Movistar) @ 1min 51sec
19. Sylvester Szmyd (Liquigas) @ 1min 53sec
20. Johann Tschopp (BMC) @ 2min 2sec
21. Peter Stetina (Garmin-Barracuda) @ 2min 3sec
22. Thomas De Gendt (Vacansoleil) @ 2min 5sec
23. Giovanni Visconti (Movistar) @ 2min 6sec
24. Marco Pinotti (BMC) @ 2min 9sec
25. Frank Schleck (Radio Shack-Nissan) @ 2min 11sec
26. Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Barracuda) s.t.
27. Daniel Moreno (Katusha) @ 2min 16sec
28. Serge Pauwels (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) @ 2min 28sec
29. Tom Jelte Slagter (Rabobank) @ 2min 43sec
30. Marzio Bruseghin (Movistar) @ 2min 47sec
31. John Gadret (Ag2r) @ 2min 47sec
32. Gianluca Brambilla (Colnago-CSF) @ 2min 58sec
33. Gustav Erik Larsson (Vacansoleil) @ 3min 3sec
34. José Rujano (Androni Giocattoli) @ 3min 5sec
35. Juan Manuel Garate (Rabobank) @ 3min 8sec
36. Kevin Seeldrayers (Astana) @ 3min 8sec
37. Mikel Nieve (Euskaltel) @ 3min 35sec
38. Bart De Clercq (Lotto-Belisol) @ 3min45sec
39. Jackson Rodriguez (Androni Giocattoli) s.t.
40. Francis De Greef (Lotto-Belisol) @ 4min 10sec
41. Sergey Lagutin (Vacansoleil) s.t.
42. Hubert Dupont (Ag2r) @ 4min 27sec
43. Diego Ulissi (Lampre) @ 4min 47sec
44. Volodymir Gustov (Saxo) @ 4min 51sec
45. Grischa Niermann (Rabobank) @ 5min 3sec
46. Jan Bakelants (Radio Shack-Nissan) @ 6min 3sec
47. Carlos José Ochoa (Androni Giocattoli) @ 8min 45sec
48. Thomas Rohregger (Radio Shack-Nissan) @ 8min 49sec
49. Jon Izaguirre (Euskaltel) @ 9min 37sec
50. Przemyslaw Niemiez (Lampre) @ 10min 12sec

Points Competition

1. Mark Cavendish (Sky): 77 points
2. Matthew Harley Goss ((Orica-GreenEdge): 65
3. Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha): 55
4. Domenico Pozzovivo (Colnago-CSF): 49
5. Martijn Keizer (Vacansoleil): 40

Climbers' Competition

1. Michal Golas (Omega Pharma-Quick Step): 33 points
2. Miguel Angel Rubiano (Androni Giocattoli): 24
3. Paolo Tiralongo (Astana): 9
4. Domenico Pozzovivo (Colnago-CSF): 9
5. Jan Bakelants (Radio Shack-Nissan): 9

Young Rider

1. Damiano Caruso (Liquigas) 51hr 20min 10sec
2. Rigoberto Uran (Sky) @ 8sec
3. Sergio Henao (Sky) @ 25sec
4. Peter Stetina (Garmin-Barracuda) @ 1min 1sec
5. Tom Jelte Slagter (Rabobank) @ 1min 41sec

Team GC:

1. Movistar: 152hr 43min 8sec
2. Liquigas @ 1min 51sec
3. BMC @ 2min 2sec
4. Omega pharma-Quick Step) @ 2min 49sec
5. Astana @ 3min 35sec
6. Garmin-Barracuda @ 3min 35sec

---

Stage 12 map and profile

Stage 12 map

Stage 12 profile

---

Photos from stage 12:

Euskaltel heads for the start line

Panorama

Sandy Casar leads the day's break.

Jan Bakelants

The break rides up the Italian coast

Sandy Casar leading the final descent, intent upon gaining the maglia rosa. He came up 26 seconds short.

Lasrs Ytting Bak closing the gap to the break leaders.

Michal Golas took off looking for KOM points and kept on going...until he ran out of gas and was caught and dropped by the break.

Liquigas leading the break with Rodiguez (in pink) close by.

And Michele Scarponi keeps Rodriguez on a short leash.

Damiano Cunego leans the bike over.

Fumiyuki Beppu wasn't the only rider to overcook a corner descending today.

A perfectly executed ride by Bak. Bravo!

Once Lars Bak made final contact with the break on the last descent, his attacking in the final kilometers was almost guarenteed. No one had the suds to bring him back.

---