Andrea Vendrame wins stage 12 of the Giro d’Italia, Bernal retains the Maglia Rosa

Andrea Vendrame has won Giro d'Italia stage 12!

Andrea Vendrame, nicknamed “joker” after the cinematic anti-hero, delivered Italy’s second stage win on the Giro’s 12th day of racing following Filippo Ganna’s victory in the inaugural time trial in Turin. The versatile rider from Veneto beat Australia’s Chris Hamilton in a two man sprint in Bagno di Romagna after they rode away from a front group of 16 riders, including Vendrame’s teammate Geoffrey Bouchard who significantly extended his lead in the King of the Mountains competition today. Placing third on the line, Gianluca Brambilla was later relegated to 4th place after irregular sprinting and George Bennett moved up to 3rd place.

Back in the peloton, Vincenzo Nibali and Giulio Ciccone attacked towards the top of the last climb. Nibali forged on during the descent to cross the line with an advantage of 7’’ over the Maglia Rosa’s group. Egan Bernal remained in the lead of the overall classification in a stage marred by the withdrawals of former race leader Alessandro De Marchi and Stage 6 winner Gino Mäder, as well as Marc Soler who was in contention for a good GC ranking.

STAGE RESULTS

1 – Andrea Vendrame (AG2R Citroen Team) – 212km in 5h43’48”, average speed 36.998 km/h

2 – Christopher Hamilton (Team DSM) s.t.

3 – George Bennett (Jumbo-Visma) at 15”

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION

1 – Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers)

2 – Aleksandr Vlasov (Astana – Premier Tech) at 45”

3 – Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious) at 1’12”

JERSEYS

Maglia Rosa (pink), general classification leader, sponsored by Enel – Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers)

Maglia Ciclamino (cyclamen), sprinter classification leader, sponsored by Segafredo Zanetti – Peter Sagan (Bora – Hansgrohe)

Maglia Azzurra (blue), King of the Mountains classification leader, sponsored by Banca Mediolanum – Geoffrey Bouchard (AG2R Citroen Team)

Maglia Bianca (white), young rider general classification leader, sponsored by Intimissimi Uomo – Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers), worn by Aleksandr Vlasov (Astana – Premier Tech)

The Giro d’Italia race organisers congratulate Elia Viviani, who was chosen alongside Jessica Rossi by the Italian National Olympic Committee CONI, as a representative of Italian riders at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. This nomination is an honour for the entire cycling movement.

Quotes from the protagonists and statistics

First stage win at the Giro d’Italia for Andrea Vendrame in four participations after he came 2nd behind Esteban Chaves following a mechanical on Stage 19 to San Martino di Castrozza in 2019. His last victory came at the Tro Bro Leon with Androni Giocattoli on 22 April 2019.

It’s Chris Hamilton’s fourth Giro d’Italia but his first time on the podium (finishing 2nd today).

Fourth Maglia Rosa for Egan Bernal, who didn’t take this many Maillot Jaune (3) at the 2019 Tour de France.

4th day in the Maglia Azzurra for Geoffrey Bouchard, just as many as his compatriot Laurent Fignon who is the last Frenchman to have won the KOM competition at the Giro d’Italia, back in 1984. The last Frenchman to wear the jersey of the KOM competition was Sandy Casar, who did so for three days in 2006. The distinctive jersey was introduced in 1974. It’s been a green jersey from 1974 to 2011 and blue (azzurra) since.

Speaking at the press conference, the stage winner Andrea Vendrame said: “I knew I was the fastest of the last four breakaway riders. I learned from my second place at San Martino di Castrozza two years ago. I looked for this victory and I studied the course very carefully. The first 70km were a huge battle and a bit of luck is always needed to make the breakaway. In the last climb, I tried to anticipate the actions of some of the climbers, then I recovered for a little while. I wanted to bring this victory home at any cost.”

Maglia Rosa Egan Bernal said: “For sure, Vincenzo Nibali is a rider with great experience. He can make you win or lose a Giro. Following him in a downhill means risking a crash. I knew there were 4km after the last downhill and I still had teammates with me so I didn’t worry. Nibali took a little advantage and we always have to pay attention to him. Tomorrow it’s a flat stage. It looks quiet on paper but it’s also possible to lose a stage of the Giro there, so I’ll wait for tomorrow’s stage to be complete before I think of the Zoncolan. I have never climbed the Zoncolan before. Everyone says it’s extremely hard, especially the last 3km.”