Giro d'Italia 2025 LIVE: Stage 12 updates, route and results as sprinters eye fast finish in Viadana

Independent

22-05-2025

The 2025 Giro d'Italia continues with a day out for the sprinters after several intriguing stages in the battle for the general classification.
The GC contenders get a theoretical day off on stage 12, a 172km run from Modena to Viadana, but in all likelihood will face another frantic day of jostling for position and trying to avoid splits as the race gears up for a drag race to the line.
There are two category three climbs on the menu but all of the climbing is in the first half of the stage before a pan-flat finish.
It's a chance for the pure sprinters, the likes of Olav Kooij and stage six winner Kaden Groves, to close the gap to Mads Pedersen, who leads the points classification by a huge margin and already has three stage wins to his name.
Stage 12 preview
The sprinters get another run-out today after a few GC-heavy days in the 2025 Giro d'Italia and a couple of thrilling stages for the breakaway.
There's 1700m of elevation gain on today's 172km stage, but it's a real stage of two halves, with all that climbing before the 100km to go mark. From there it's almost entirely pan-flat, so expect any potential escapees to be caught and the sprint trains mass at the front to set up a drag race to the line.
Starting in Modena, the parcours tilts uphill almost straightaway, gently at first to the category three climb at Baiso, 40km in, before rolling terrain carries the riders to the intermediate sprint at Felina. That up and down continues until the second of two classified climbs, 96km in at Borsea, with the second intermediate sprint on the flat at Sant'Ilario d'Enza.
The sprinters may sweep up the bonus seconds and get a practice for the real thing in Viadana at the Red Bull kilometre in Brescello, 33km before the finish line. They then swing onto a 28.6km circuit of Viadana on mostly wide, straight, urban roads, and a wide, flat finishing straight with its final corner 500m from the line. Pure bunch sprint territory.
Flo Clifford22 May 2025 10:07