Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo) has won his second stage of this year?s Giro d?Italia. Petacchi bested Paride Grillo (Panaria) and Isaac Galvez Lopez (Illes Balears) to win Stage 12, a 178-km run from Alleghe to Rovereto, in 4:50:00. Ivan Basso (CSC) remains the maglia rosa.

The stage had a tough early climb, the Passo San Pellegrino. Some riders feared a fast start that would have broken up the field on the ascent, but that did not materialize. The bunch was together as it approached the summit. Jose Rujano, Rafaele Illiano, Ivan Parra (all from Selle Italia), and Patrice Halgand (Credit Agricole) attacked, but they were reeled in on the descent.

At around 72 km, Philippe Schnyder (Selle Italia) got clear. The bunch kept the Swiss rider on a short leash, and his lead maxed out at 2:55 at 112 km. Fassa Bortolo and Davitamon rode tempo, however, and Schnyder?s escape ended with 30 km left.

After Schnyder?s capture, CSC took over at the front. Discovery Channel, T-Mobile, La Francaise des Jeux, and Fassa Bortolo took turns at pacemaking. With four km left, the Italian squad assumed command for good.

With one km left, Phonak launched Uros Murn and Aurelien Clerc, but they were reeled in. With 250 km remaining, Paride Grillo (Panaria) jumped into the lead. Petacchi, however, took the Panaria man?s wheel and blasted past him with 150 m left.

In the overall, Basso leads Paolo Savoldelli (Discovery Channel) by 0:18 and Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas) by 1:04. Stage 13 will be a major test for those riders who aspire to win the Giro. The mountainous, 218-km ride from Mezzocorona to Ortisei will feature five major climbs, including the finishing ascent. Who will prevail? Basso? Savoldelli? Gilberto Simoni (Lampre)? Check in at http://www.roadcycling.com/ and find out!