From stage to stage: how the twelfth stage of the 2024 Giro went
Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal-QuickStep) signs the feat and wins stage 12 of Giro d’Italia 2024 from Martinsicuro to Fanofinding new success almost a year after the second half of the Tour of the Dauphiné 2023 at the end of a 140km escape.
The Dutchman doesn’t show up at the starting line Fabio Jakobsen (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL), withdrawn after yesterday’s crash.
They start immediately Simon Clarke (Israel-PremierTech), Michael Hepburn (Jayco AlUla), Mirco Masters (Team Polti Kometa) e Edoardo Affini (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), who gain 30 seconds on the group.
At the first flying finish line, Maestri is the first to pass Alaphilippe e Nairo Quintana (Movistar). The road goes up and at the GPM of Osimo Maestri takes the lead once again, ahead of Alaphilippe and the blue Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers), Olympic track champion in Tokyo 2020.
The riders face the fourth category GPM of Monsano and of Ostra, where Alaphilippe passes first. Maestri takes the lead insteadIntergiro of Ripe on Alaphilippe (Soudal-QuickStep), as well as at the GPM of The cross. The positions then reverse at the flying finish line Mondolfo.
With just under 20km to go, the leaders’ lead drops to under a minute over their pursuers, with the Maglia Rosa group almost 7 minutes behind.
Alaphilippe takes off alone 11km from the finish line, leaving Maestri on the spot. From behind, Jonathan Narvaez (Ineos Grenadiers), Quinten Hermans (Alpecin-Deceuninck) set off in pursuit of the two-time road world champion who, however, was still firmly in the lead at the end of the climb.
He will be the one to cross the finish line first, scoring the first personal success in this Corsa Rosa and the second as a team for his Soudal-QuickStep. Narvaez and Hermans close the podium. Tadej Pogacarstar of the UAE Emirates, remains in the Pink Jersey.
“It was the hardest and most beautiful day of my life. Alaphilippe, together with Peter Sagan, is the rider I respect the most – these are the words of Maestri on Rai 2 -. Spending a day on the run with him was wonderful. I also feel like I won.”
“I came from a period of many ups and downs, I also made some mistakes. I congratulate Maestri, he would have deserved the victory too – adds today’s winner speaking to Eurosport -. I always felt great throughout the day “.
Tomorrow, Friday 17 May, there will be space for a fraction of the whole flat where the sprinters will show off.
