Add to My Favourites

Italian Benedetti wins Giro d'Italia 12th stage as Polanc takes Pink

Italy's Cesare Benedetti won the 12th stage of the Giro d'Italia in the Italian Alps ahead of compatriot Damiano Caruso. Slovenian Jan Polanc took the overall lead

It was the first win for 31-year-old Bora rider Benedetti who led a long break-away group in the first mountain stage after the 158km run from Cuneo.

Polanc, also among the leading group, took the leader's pink jersey from UAE Emirates teammate Valerio Conti of Italy.

Benedetti crossed just ahead of Bahrain-Merida's Caruso with Ireland's Edward Dunbar of Team INEOS third.

"I've worked a lot for the others in the past but today I got my opportunity," said Benedetti, "I'm not a talent, I'm not (usually) a winner, but the way I finished it off is exactly what I wanted to do."

It was the third stage win for Benedetti's Bora team after Germany's Pascal Ackermann's two sprint wins.

The first 15 finishers had all been part of a large early breakaway that  built up a sizeable advantage. Polanc finished 25 seconds behind Benedetti but more than nine minutes ahead of Conti and more than seven minutes ahead of fellow Slovene Primoz Roglic, who climbed to second

Behind the breakaway, the opening skirmishes between the favourites occurred in the main climb of the day, Montoso, the first ranked in the top category of this Giro.

Colombian Miguel Angel Lopez, third in 2018 Giro, and Spaniard Mikel Landa went on the attack, 37km from the finish, taking about 30 seconds on their direct rivals in the standings.

Polanc -- a 27-year-old Slovenian who has won two Giro stages, each time in the mountains -- pulled on the pink jersey for the first time.

"It was a team tactic that I'd go in the breakaway so we could have a better control over the race," said Polanc, "It was also a way to keep the Maglia Rosa (pink jersey) in the team. We were lucky to be able to play these cards and I'm very happy to have the jersey. I was thinking about the stage win as well but being the virtual leader I had to pull a lot more than others."

Stage 13 is high-mountain stage over 196km and features three difficult summits --  Colle del Lys, Pian del Lupo and the final Colle del Nivolet climb, leading to Lago Serru, on a route that includes gradients of up to 15 precent.

VIDEO: 2019 Giro d'Italia Stage 12 Highlights

2019 Giro d'Italia Stage 12 Top 10

1 Cesare Benedetti (Ita) Bora-Hansgrohe 3:41:49
2 Damiano Caruso (Ita) Bahrain-Merida 0:00:00
3 Edward Dunbar (Irl) Team Ineos 0:00:00
4 Gianluca Brambilla (Ita) Trek-Segafredo 0:00:02
5 Eros Capecchi (Ita) Deceuninck-QuickStep 0:00:06
6 Jan Polanc (Slo) UAE Team Emirates 0:00:25
7 Matteo Montaguti (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec 0:00:34
8 Thomas De Gendt (Bel) Lotto Soudal 0:02:36
9 Francesco Gavazzi (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec 0:02:36
10 Manuel Senni (Ita) Bardiani CSF 0:02:38

2019 Giro d'Italia GC after Stage 12

1 Jan Polanc (Slo) UAE Team Emirates 48:49:40
2 Primoz Roglic (Slo) Team Jumbo-Visma 0:04:07
3 Valerio Conti (Ita) UAE Team Emirates 0:04:51
4 Eros Capecchi (Ita) Deceuninck-QuickStep 0:05:02
5 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Bahrain-Merida 0:05:51
6 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Trek-Segafredo 0:06:02
7 Rafal Majka (Pol) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:07:00
8 Richard Carapaz (Ecu) Movistar Team 0:07:23
9 Andrey Amador (CRc) Movistar Team 0:07:30
10 Hugh John Carthy (GBr) EF Education First 0:07:33

 
Tag: giro
 
Jun 01 2025 - NEWS: Emotional Simon Yates wins Giro d'Italia after final sprint stage in Rome
May 31 2025 - NEWS: Simon Yates powers up the Finestre to take overall lead at Giro d'Italia
May 28 2025 - NEWS: Massive Attack After his Crack: Isaac del Toro Wins Giro Stage 17
May 27 2025 - NEWS: Roglic abandons Stage 16 as Isaac del Toro and Juan Ayuso Completely Crack
May 24 2025 - NEWS: Mexican Del Toro extends Giro lead after rivals marred by crash
May 23 2025 - NEWS: Mads Pedersen Claims Fourth Stage Victory at Giro d'Italia
May 17 2025 - NEWS: Australian Luke Plapp Claims First Grand Tour Stage Win at Giro d'Italia
May 16 2025 - NEWS: Ayuso Triumphs in Giro d'Italia Stage 7 as Roglic Seizes Pink Jersey
May 15 2025 - NEWS: Groves wins neutralised Giro sixth stage as Hindley abandons
May 14 2025 - NEWS: Mads Pedersen Completes Hat Trick at 2025 Giro d'Italia
May 13 2025 - NEWS: Casper van Uden Claims First Grand Tour Stage Victory at Giro d'Italia
May 11 2025 - NEWS: Pedersen snatches Pink Jersey back on Stage 3 of the Giro d'Italia
May 10 2025 - NEWS: Primož Roglic Takes Pink Jersey After Thrilling Stage 2 Time Trial
May 09 2025 - NEWS: Pedersen Triumphs in Giro d'Italia Opener as Landa Suffers Devastating Crash
May 09 2025 - NEWS: Primoz Roglic Favorite for 2025 Giro d'Italia Title with Tadej Pogacar's Absence
Sep 12 2016 - RESULTS: Hundreds Tackled the Gigantic Mt. Palomar in 5th Annual Giro Di San Diego
Sep 09 2014 - RESULTS: Giro di San Diego GranFondo
Nov 12 2013 - RESULTS: Giro d Italia Wraps Up an Amazing Season in Miami
Jun 04 2013 - RESULTS: Giro d'Italia Los Angeles Pasadena
May 09 2025 - EVENT: 2025 Giro d'Italia
Jul 12 2025 - EVENT: Bodensee Gravel Giro
Jul 13 2025 - EVENT: Midland Monster Grit X
Jul 21 2025 - EVENT: Giro delle Dolomiti
Aug 30 2025 - EVENT: Ride Across Girona
Oct 03 2025 - EVENT: Sparkassen Münsterland Giro
Nov 02 2025 - EVENT: El Giro de Rigo
Nov 22 2025 - EVENT: Gravel Giro
Nov 23 2025 - EVENT: Giro della Donna