Olav Kooij delivered on Visma-Lease a Bike’s long-brewing sprint strategy with a commanding victory on stage 12 of the Giro d’Italia, timing his kick to perfection off a world-class lead-out from Wout van Aert. The Dutchman held off Casper van Uden, Ben Turner, and points leader Mads Pedersen in a high-speed dash into Viadana to take his first Giro stage win.
After the drama of the Dolomites on stage 11, the peloton enjoyed a flatter, more transitional profile for stage 12’s 172km route from Modena to Viadana. While billed as one of the few remaining opportunities for the sprinters, the opening half was far from flat, featuring over 1,600 metres of climbing on rolling roads through the Lombardy region.
A three-rider breakaway formed early, featuring Italians Giosuè Epis, Manuele Tarozzi and Andrea Pietrobon. The trio were given some freedom by the bunch and stretched their advantage to over three minutes, but the peloton remained composed behind. Pietrobon proved strongest and was the last to be reeled in with 26km to go on the first pass through the finish line in Viadana.
A flurry of action followed as teams jostled for position. Lidl-Trek, Alpecin-Deceuninck, and Cofidis all threw their sprint trains into the mix, while UAE Team Emirates-XRG used the moment to sneak Isaac del Toro into the intermediate sprint. The maglia rosa picked up two bonus seconds to extend his lead to 33 seconds over teammate Juan Ayuso, continuing UAE’s meticulous attention to time gains.
Trust rebuilt and sprint delivered
Visma-Lease a Bike took charge inside the final 6km, determined not to repeat the misfires of earlier sprints. Stage 6 in Naples had seen confusion and mistiming between Kooij and Van Aert, resulting in a frustrated 10th place. In Viadana, however, the trio of Edoardo Affini, Van Aert and Kooij executed their plan to near-perfection.
Affini lit the fuse, stringing out the bunch into single file. Van Aert then slotted into position one as the peloton approached the final left-hand corner. Kooij momentarily lost his teammate’s wheel but recovered at just the right moment, surfing the slipstream of Van Uden before launching his sprint in the final 150 metres.
Photo Credit: LaPresse“Only Wout can do it,” said Kooij afterwards. “To have his support is extraordinary. I really have to thank him and the rest of the team. They all did a fantastic job.”
Kooij admitted it was a huge relief to take the win, having last tasted victory at Tirreno-Adriatico in March. “We grew into the race as a team with Simon [Yates] in a good GC spot and Wout winning a stage. The other sprints didn’t go right, so I’m really happy that today we could do it.”
Van Aert himself was delighted with the team’s evolution. “You know the saying, ‘you win or you learn.’ On the last few occasions, we didn’t win, but we learned from it. Today we stayed calm and did what we needed to do.”
Pedersen loses ground, Del Toro extends lead
Mads Pedersen finished fourth on the day, a result that still leaves him comfortably in the maglia ciclamino but now with a reduced lead of 72 points over Kooij. “It’s not secure yet,” said Pedersen. “There are still a few more sprint days with points on the line. Today wasn’t really my type of final – it was super fast and quite chaotic.”
Meanwhile, at the opposite end of the race narrative, Isaac del Toro continues to wear the pink jersey with growing confidence. He picked up another two bonus seconds during the stage and was once again quick to play down any rivalry with Ayuso.
“There’s a really good atmosphere in the team. We’re in a perfect situation,” Del Toro said. “The race put me in this situation, and we’ll use it to the favour of the team. We’re happy, there are no problems.”
Del Toro also confirmed he’s been in contact with UAE’s star rider Tadej Pogačar. “I’m not Tadej – my engine is smaller – so it means I’m getting tired now,” he joked, before adding: “My biggest fear? I just want to finish the Giro without crashing.”
Photo Credit: LaPresse2025 Giro d’Italia Stage 12 result
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Main photo credit: LaPresse
