Stage 12 of Giro d’Italia 2024 invited the professional cyclists to a battle on the Marche Walls. The 193-kilometer route from Martinsicuro to Fano would start with approximately 55 kilometers of racing in flat terrain in the Marche region. The riders would then reach the first of the ten short, but steep and punchy wall-like climbs of the day, which race organizers expected would turn stage 12 of Giro d’Italia into a small Classic. The stage would conclude in the town of Fano, where the riders would contest the stage finale next to the city walls that surround the historic town center.

Several riders had marked their calendars for the stage 12 battle on the Marche Walls as this stage had an appealing route that rendered it possible for a strong breakaway expert to succeed. The punchy wall-like climbs reminded of the challenges in famous classics and the stage would culminate with a first-ever climb across the Monte Giove, which features incline gradients of more than ten percent.

The hostilities of the day started early, and several riders launched attacks to establish a breakaway as anticipated. Enzo Paleni (Groupama-FDJ), Roel Sintmaartensdijk (), and Matteo Trentin created the first successful breakaway trio of the day and formed a small advantage. Meanwhile, some of the breakaway experts in the peloton were keeping their gun powder dry, while hoping for better opportunities later in the stage.

The front trio was later joined by Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal-QuickStep) and Luke Plapp (Team Jayco-Alula) and the quintet charged on to form as significant a time gap as possible before the first climbs of the day would be reached.

The speed in the peloton was high and multiple larger chase groups set out to catch the front men. Meanwhile the front group had been reshuffled at it had now been converted into a duo featuring Alaphilippe and Mirco Maestri (Team Polti-Kometa). With 120 kilometers left, the front duo had a thirty second advantage over a 18-man chase group featuring strong riders such as Jhonatan Narvaez (Ineos-Grenadiers), Benjamin Thomas (Codifis), Michael Valgren (EF Education-EasyPost), Lilian Calmejane (Intermarche-Wanty), and Pelayo Sanchez (Team Movistar). A larger third group headed by Filippo Ganna (Ineos-Grenadiers) was chasing 01:32 minutes behind the front duo.

While Alaphilippe had done most of the hard work on the Recanati climb, it was Maestri who charged past the Frenchman shortly before the top to be the first rider to pass the top point and take the sprint. The intermediate sprints were important for smaller teams such as Polti-Kometa and former World Champion Alaphilippe would allow it.

The two chase groups merged into one larger group. 105 kilometers remained and it was now Alaphilippe and Maestri followed by a forty-man chase group 01:31 minutes behind, followed by the main peloton 04:15 minutes back.

Ninety kilometers remained and the chase group was now 02:15 minutes behind the front duo. Several attempts were made to split the chase group and separate the mice from the men to form a more efficient chase group that could finally bridge the gap to Alaphilippe and Maestri. Meanwhile, Bahrain-Victorious and UAE Team Emirates were setting the pace in the main peloton that was now five minutes behind.

Maestri was leading Alaphilippe up the Monsano climb in powerful fashion with 65 kilometers left of the stage. Chase group 1 was 01:20 minutes behind, while a second chase group featuring twenty-four riders had been established with a 02:40 minute deficit. The main peloton was now six minutes behind the front duo.

The riders were approaching the Ostra climb – a one kilometer climb with an average gradient of 8.5 percent and sections of no less than 13.5 percent. This would make the legs hurt for the riders who had been active in fast breakaways up to this point in the stage.

Alaphilippe led the front duo in forceful manner up the Ostra. The Frenchman looked impressively powerful today. But Maestri was still with him and never underestimate an Italian.

Alaphilippe was first across the top. He was followed by Maestri, while Matteo Trentin was the first of the riders in chase group 1 to reach the top of the Ostra.

The Alaphilippe-Maestro front duo had an advantage of 45 seconds with fifteen kilometers left. Nine riders were now chasing intensively, hoping to make the leap in time for the finish of the stage. The nine riders were Jhonatan Narvaez (Ineos-Grenadiers), Quinten Hermans (Soudal-QuickStep), Christian Scaroni (Astana), Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis), Michael Valgren (EF Education-EasyPost), Dion Smith (Intermarche-Wanty), Simon Clarke (Team PremierTech), Gijs Leemreize (Team DSM-Firmenich), and Matteo Trentin (Tudor Pro Cycling Team).

Frenchman and former World Champion Alaphilippe left Maestro behind on the final climb. He looked strong! No incline percentages were too hard for him today. Meanwhile, Valgren attacked from the chase group, while Narvaez responded. So did Clarke, Scaroni and Hermans.

Valgren disappointingly got dropped from the chase group after his hard work, but Narvaez and Hermans charged on.

Alaphilippe was first across the top of the final climb. A fast and dangerous descent to the finish line awaited him. Lots of narrow roads and dangerous curves.

Alaphilippe soloed on in impressive fashion and took the victory in stage 12 of Giro d’Italia 2024. Narvaez crossed the finish line a few seconds later, while Hermans completed the podium. Valgren finished fourth.

“I didn’t plan it today. I was expecting to be in a big breakaway group, not a duo,” stage winner Alaphilippe told Roadcycling.com shortly after crossing the finish line in Fano.

It was my dream to win a stage in the wonderful Giro d’Italia and I am very happy.

“It is important for me to thank my teammates, who controlled the first sixty kilometers superbly. I cooperated well with Maestro in the attack, and he too deserved to win today, because he raced really well. When I dropped him in the final climb, I believed I could win,” Alaphilippe explained to Roadcycling.com. 

Tadej Pogacar remains general classification leader ahead of Daniel Martinez and Geraint Thomas before tomorrow’s stage 13 of Giro d’Italia 2024. Stage 13 from Riccione will be flat as a pancake and a mass sprint finish is expected in the finish town of Cento after 179 kilometers of bike racing.

Stay tuned to Roadcycling.com for complete race coverage from Giro d’Italia 2024.

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