The Resurrection of Julian Alaphilippe!!

The 12th stage of the Giro d'Italia went from Martinsicuro to Fano. It was predicted to be a stage tailored for an early breakaway. The short, steep hills in the Marche region set the stage for an exciting race with an equally thrilling winner. Julian Alaphilippe, after a period full of misery, could finally celebrate a victory.

The feared ‘tappa dei muri’ did not disappoint. A large group of riders immediately broke away. At 125km from the finish, Alaphilippe decided it was time and attacked, taking Mirco Maestri with him. It seemed an impossible task to succeed with just the two of them, as the team’s boss Patrick Lefevere also noted. “What is he doing! Attacking 125km from the finish with a rider from a continental team is not smart,” Lefevere commented.

The chase group wasn’t working well together; the large size meant too many riders were waiting for their chance later in the stage. Meanwhile, the two leaders continued to cooperate well and their lead grew significantly. Eventually, nine riders broke away from the chase group and quickly closed in on Alaphilippe and Maestri.

Alaphilippe Goes Solo

With 20 kilometers to go, the nine chasers came within 45 seconds of Alaphilippe and Maestri. It seemed they would be caught, but there was still one obstacle left at 15km from the finish, the Monte Giove, a 1.2 km climb with a 9% gradient. Sensing his moment, Alaphilippe left Maestri behind. At this point, Quinten Hermans and Jhonatan Narvaez accelerated in the chase group, but they couldn't gain much time on a strong Alaphilippe.

Final Kilometers

It quickly became clear that this was Alaphilippe’s day. Hermans and Narvaez couldn’t close the gap to the leader. Only Alaphilippe himself could jeopardize his victory, swerving left and right in his typical style and looking back every few meters, which sometimes created dangerous situations.

Alaphilippe’s Victory

“Ultimo Kilometro!” The final kilometer was a relief for Julian Alaphilippe. After almost a year without a win, the Frenchman from Soudal - Quick-Step finally tasted victory again. After a year filled with setbacks and problems, this was a much-needed triumph. Perhaps this is the breakthrough win that will see the two-time world champion return to his former glory.

Battle for the Pink Jersey

For the general classification contenders, today was almost a rest day. It quickly became clear they would let the breakaway fight for the stage win. With 10 kilometers to go, the Bahrain-Victorious team attempted to shake things up, and for a moment it looked like there might be splits, but in the end, no significant changes occurred.