Lars Bak (Lotto-Belisol) has won Stage 12 of the Giro d'Italia. The Dane surged away from an all-day break to win the hilly, 155-km ride from Seravezza to Sestri Levante in 3:58:55. Sandy Casar (FDJ-Big Mat) outsprinted Andrey Amador (Movistar) for second at 0:11, and Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) kept the maglia rosa.

Some time elapsed before the break of the day formed. Not until 50 km did Bak, Casar, Ivan Santaromita (BMC), Jan Bakelants (RadioShack-Nissan), Amets Txurruka (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Amador, Jackson Rodriguez (Androni Giacattoli-Venezuela), Martijn Keizer (Vacansoleil-DCM), and Michal Golas (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) roll off of the front. The peloton did not chase, and the fugitives led by 6:30 with 40 km left. Five km later, the break's advantage was 7 minutes, and the question was whether Casar, who began the day 4:01 behind Joaquim Rodriguez in the overall, would take the maglia rosa.

Golas attacked on the Category 2 Valico La Mola, but his breakmates caught him on the descent. Behind, Liquigas-Cannondale began to chase. The gap fell to 4:10 before rising to 5:00.

Amador attacked, but Casar and Santaromita reeled him in. Liquigas-Cannondale reduced the break's lead to under 4 minutes as Bak, Txurruka, and Bakelants joined the leading trio.

With 6 km left, Amador attacked again, but the others caught him. The break appeared to be positioning itself for a sprint until Bak attacked with less than 2 km remaining. His erstwhile companions were slow to react, and the Lotto-Belisol man had plenty of time to celebrate on the run to the finish. Joaquim Rodriguez crossed the finish line 3:34 behind the Dane, which enabled the Katusha rider to remain the overall leader.

In the overall, Rodriguez leads Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Barracuda) by 0:17 and Paolo Tiralongo (Astana) by 0:32. Stage 13 will not change the general classification. The flat, 122-km run from Savona to Cevere will be the sprinters' last chance to shine before the first high mountain stage on Saturday. Who will win? Mark Cavendish (Sky)? Matthew Goss (GreenEdge)? Check in at www.roadcycling.com and find out!

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