Giro d’Italia 2026, Stage 12: route, favourites and where to watch it on TV

After a few days of enforced “rest”, the sprinters are back in action. This time, the 175 km Imperia–Novi Ligure stage should hold few fears for them, despite a couple of classified climbs in the middle section. The last time the Giro finished in Novi Ligure, the stage also ended in a bunch sprint: it was 2019, and Caleb Ewan came out on top. Who will take it this time? The battle for the Maglia Ciclamino resumes.

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The Route

After an opening stretch through the Imperia hinterland towards Pieve di Teco, the stage follows the Via Aurelia from Albenga to Savona, but in the opposite direction to Milano–Sanremo, featuring several coastal capes and urban sections. Leaving Savona, riders tackle the Colle Giovo (Category 3, 11.4 km at 4.2%) and Bric Berton (Category 3, 5.5 km at 5.9%), the latter cresting 52 km from the finish, before descending into the Po Valley. From there, a series of short rolling roads leads to Novi Ligure. In the finale, riders will navigate some narrower roads before joining wider, straighter avenues, with the final corner coming 3 km from the line.

The Favourites

The sprinters have their eyes on the finish in Novi Ligure. Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) will be looking to strengthen his hold on the Maglia Ciclamino, with the usual rivals leading the challenge: Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), Tobias Lund Andresen (Decathlon CMA CGM) and Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets) chief among them. Matteo Malucelli (XDS Astana), Ethan Vernon (NSN) and Pascal Ackermann (Jayco AlUla) should not be underestimated either.

It is not impossible that some teams may try to make the race hard on the two classified climbs, and in that case, keep an eye on Orluis Aular (Movistar), Ben Turner (Netcompany INEOS), Corbin Strong (NSN) and, why not, Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) once again.

Predict the winner with our‘stage winner Predictor’. CLICK HERE, head to the FanZone and earn one entry into the final prize draw of the Join the FanZone Challenge for every vote you cast. (Voting is open from 20:00 the day before the stage until 10:00 on race day.)

Giro d’Italia 2026, Stage 12: Schedule and TV Coverage

Imperia – Novi Ligure, 175 km
LIVE coverage begins: 11:30 a.m.
Start: 1:00 a.m.
KM 0: 1:10 a.m.
Expected finish: around 5:00 p.m.

TV: As usual, RAI will provide free-to-air coverage of every stage of the Giro d’Italia for viewers in Italy. The day begins with “Giro Mattina” on Rai Sport HD, featuring rider presentations and pre-race interviews, followed by “Prima Diretta” on the same channel to cover the start of the stage until 14:00. For the key moments of the race, coverage moves to Rai 2, with “Giro in Diretta” until 16:15, followed immediately by “Giro all’Arrivo”, taking viewers through the decisive phases of the stage right to the finish line. Straight after comes the traditional post-stage analysis show, “Il Processo alla Tappa”, usually lasting around 45 minutes without the need to switch channels. The day concludes on Rai Sport HD with “TGiro” at 20:00, featuring interviews, highlights and commentary, while the most dedicated fans can relive every key moment with “Ri-Giro” at 00:00. The race will also be broadcast live in full on Eurosport, as well as on streaming platforms Discovery+ and HBO Max.

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