Following yesterday’s climbing spectacles of stage 11, where Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) launched great fireworks on the final climb, Giro d’Italia race organizer RCS Sport had decided to treat the remaining 171 riders in the Giro peloton to a battle in flat terrain. 

The 172-kilometer stage 12 of Giro d’Italia would start in Modena, take the riders through the outskirts of the Apennine Mountains and into the Po valley (Val Padana) where flat terrain would dominate the racing conditions. The first hundred kilometers would be contested in hilly Apennine terrain, including two Category 3 climbs that should be easily manageable for most riders. The stage would conclude in Viadana, where sprinters such as Olav Kooij (Team Visma-Lease a Bike) and Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) were expected to battle for the stage victory in an exciting mass sprint.

Modena was an important colony during the great Roman era and is known for its traditional balsamic vinegar as well as automotive companies such as Ferrari and Maserati. The city of Modena is situated in the Emilia-Romagna region, which is one of the most developed regions of Europe and known for its financial strength, its gastronomical creations, historic sites, and cultural richness. Modena is situated between Parma - known for its famous Parma ham and smelly parmesan cheese - and Bologna, capital of the region.

Stage 12 started in overcast weather conditions and many riders proved less eager to engage in breakaway efforts than what had been the case in previous stages. Perhaps too many riders had enjoyed the culinary pleasures of Emilia-Romagna the evening before – or perhaps the teams were anticipating a mass sprint finish, which would make any breakaway efforts doomed to fail.

Giosue Epis (Arkea B & B Hotels), Andrea Pietrobon (Team Polti-VisitMalta), and Manuele Tarozzi (VF Group – Bardiani CSF – Faizane) decided to fly the logos and colors of their team sponsors and broke away from the main peloton. The front trio had built a lead of more than three minutes after twenty kilometers of racing as the peloton passed through Sassuolo, which is known for its ceramics. 

The advantage of the front trio had been reduced to approximately two minutes as the riders had tested their legs on the first of the two Category 3 climbs with 126 kilometers remaining.

Andrea Pietrobon won the intermediate points sprint in Felina from the breakaway group. Viewers at home were given a show while the riders raced with the Pietra di Bismantova rock formation clearly visible on the horizon.

The riders were approaching the end of the Apennine plateau phase when 95 kilometers remained. The Category 3 Borsea climb had yet to be conquered, but the advantage of the front trio had been reduced to 01:38 minutes by the main peloton, which was spearheaded by riders from Decathlon-AG2R and Visma-Lease a Bike. 

Tarozzi appeared to be finding it difficult to keep up with his breakaway companions when the riders were eighty kilometers from the finish line. He later appeared to have suddenly regained his strength when he proved the strongest rider at the summit of the Borsea climb. 

The riders passed the Castello Estense, which is a medieval fortress erected in a strategic location on the top of a hill in the 14century, when rich and noble families were fighting for control over the region. The sprinters in the Giro peloton were clearly fighting for control over the stage and their teammates were keeping the breakaway group on a tight leash. Riders from Jayco-Alula and Alpecin-Deceuninck were spearheading the chase effort with 55 kilometers left.

The breakaway optimists had almost been reeled in when 48 kilometers remained. The peloton then decided to give the riders a slightly longer leash, before the front men would be caught. Andrea Pietrobon proved the final and most stubborn breakaway rider when he was reeled in by the chasing main peloton with 25 kilometers remaining.

The sprinter teams started preparing their sprint aces for the final sprint. The weather conditions were still overcast, but now with sporadic rain showers. Wet roads could prove dangerous in a sprint finish. Several teams were active at the front of the peloton – each team for its own sprinter. The GC teams were also attentively keeping their general classification riders near the front to avoid time losses.

The whole peloton was riding full speed with eight kilometers remaining. All riders were preparing for a hectic stage finale with much at stake for the sprinter teams, while the GC riders would need to avoid crashing. Ethan Hayter and Dylan van Baarle were competing for position in a roundabout.

Two kilometers remained and the competition for positions was fierce. The speed was beyond sixty kilometers per hour. Team Visma-Lease a Bike moved to the front. The Lidl-Trek team got split up. Visma was still in front with five hundred meters left.

Casper van Uden (Picnic-PostNL) accelerated and launched his sprint. Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) also accelerated, but it was Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike) who proved the fastest man and took the victory in stage 12 after receiving lead-out help from Wout van Aert. Casper van Uden finished second, while Ben Turner completed the stage podium for Ineos-Grenadiers. Mads Pedersen finished fourth.

“We’ve been waiting for this win with the team, and it is a very important win for me,” stage winner Olav Kooij told Roadcycling.com before being celebrated on the podium. “I am really happy that we could pull it off today. Only Wout van Aert can deliver such a long and powerful leadout. We needed to be in front early because of the curve in the finish. There’s a lot of good competition and you have to beat them all and that’s what we did today. We still have our eyes on the GC with Simon Yates, so there’s more to come from us,” Kooij explained.

Isaac del Toro remains general classification leader following stage 12. UAE Team Emirates teammate Juan Ayuso is still second, 33 seconds back, while Antonio Tiberi is third, 01:09 minutes back. Richard Carapaz is fourth for EF Education-EasyPost, Simon Yates is fifth, Primoz Roglic sixth, and Egan Bernal thirteenth, 02:41 minutes behind the race leader.

The 2025 Giro d’Italia will continue with stage 13 on Friday. Stage 13 will be a 180-kilometer ride in flat terrain on a course from Rovigo to Vicenza. Expect breakaway optimists to launch attacks while the sprinter teams aim for an additional sprint finish before the Giro reaches the next mountains on this year’s menu. The stage, however, concludes with a steep Category 4 climb, which may prove too difficult for the fast riders and appeal more to explosive climbers such as Thomas Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) and Richard Carapaz.

Stay tuned to Roadcycling.com for complete news and coverage from Giro d’Italia 2025.