Stefano Oldani booked his first professional victory on Thursday in the twelfth stage of the Giro d’Italia. Mathieu van der Poel’s Italian teammate at Alpecin-Fenix defeated his fellow refugees Lorenzo Rota and Gijs Leemreize in Genoa.
Leemreize tried to surprise his Italian rivals with an attack 900 meters from the finish, but Rota and Oldani got back into the wheel of the 22-year-old Dutchman. Then Oldani was the strongest in the sprint.
It is the second stage victory of Alpecin-Fenix this Giro. Van der Poel, who was also in the leading group on Thursday, won the first stage two weeks ago.
Bauke Mollema finished fourth, 57 seconds behind Oldani. Wilco Kelderman was sixth in the same time and Pascal Eenkhoorn crossed the line in tenth. They were part of a leading group that initially consisted of 27 riders, including six Dutchmen.
Result stage 12 Giro d’Italia
- 1. Stefano Oldani (Ita)
- 2. Lorenzo Rota (Ita) zt
- 3. Gijs Leemreise (Ned +0.02 min
- 4. Bauke Mollema (Ned) +0.57 min
- 5. Santiago Buitrago (Col) zt
- 6. Wilco Kelderman (Ned) +zt
- 7. Lucas Hamilton (Aus) zt
- 8. Andrea Vendrame (Ita) +1.44 min
- 9. Rein Taaramäe (Estonian) +1.49 min
- 10. Pascal Eenkhoorn (Ned) +2.55 min
- 20. Mathieu van der Poel +7.45 min
Rit was a tribute to Wouter Weylandt
The twelfth stage was dedicated to a tribute to Wouter Weylandt, the Belgian rider who crashed hard on 9 May 2011 during the Tour of Italy in the descent of the Passo del Bocco and subsequently died.
The Giro crossed the Passo del Bocco for the first time since that fateful accident on Thursday. Giro boss Mauro Vegni laid flowers at the monument to Weylandt.
Spaniard Juan Pedro López retained the pink leader’s jersey. The Giro continues on Friday with a 150-kilometer stage from San Remo to Cuneo, which on paper is again suitable for the attackers.
The monument to Wouter Weylandt on the Passo del Bocco.
The monument to Wouter Weylandt on the Passo del Bocco. Photo: Getty Images
Van der Poel very active in stage for attackers
The hilly course of the longest stage of this Giro (204 kilometers) was very suitable for the attackers and as a result a lot of riders wanted to get a good run on Thursday. This ensured that the peloton covered no less than 55.3 kilometers in the first hour and that not a single leading group got space.
After about 60 kilometers a group of 27 riders broke away. Van der Poel, who was very active from the start, saw that he had two teammates (Oldani and Oscar Riesebeek) and five compatriots (Riesebeek, Mollema, Kelderman, Eenkhoorn and Leemreize) with him.
It was soon clear that the winner would come from the leading group. In the descent of La Colletta, just under 50 kilometers from the finish, Rota attacked and only Leemreize and Oldani joined. The trio made a 50 second gap on the pursuers.
On the final climb of the day, the Valico di Trensaco of third category, Van der Poel had to let go and Kelderman and Mollema drove away with Lucas Hamilton and Santiago Buitrago. That quartet seemed on their way to join the inexperienced trio at the front, but the front runners continued to work well together and were allowed to sprint for victory in Genoa.
Leemreize knew that he was the slowest rider of the three in the sprint and so the young Dutchman from Jumbo-Visma tried it with a surprise attack at 900 meters from the finish. That acceleration did not have the desired effect, after which Oldani was just a bit faster than Rota in the sprint.