Stage 12 | Thursday, 16 May | Martinsicuro - Fano | 193 kilometres
Martinsicuro on the Adriatic Sea is the starting point of the 12th stage of the Giro 2024 and part of the Corsa Rosa for the first time. The first 50 kilometres of the day run directly along the sea and therefore do not present any topographical difficulties. In Civitanova Marche, the route then leaves the direct coastline a little, remaining parallel to it but slightly offset in the hinterland.
This is immediately noticeable in the profile. Many smaller hills await on the remaining 140 kilometres to the finish in Fano. Four of them are rated as 4th category climbs, but twice as many have to be ridden over. The individual climbs deliver gradients in the double-digit range, but are relatively short.
The last mountain in the profile is Monte Give. After that, there are still ten kilometres to the finish, which are not easy to ride for a large field due to the many bends, even without further waves. They lead directly back to the Adriatic Sea to Fano. Three stages of the Giro d'Italia have ended there so far. The last time was in 2012, when Mark Cavendish won on the slightly uphill and 450 metre long finishing straight. Wearing the world champion's jersey, he celebrated the second of his three victories in this tour. However, this was not enough for the points jersey. Joaquim Rodriguez ended up with one more point than the Briton in Milan. Nevertheless, the day in Fano was his. On the podium, he held his recently born daughter Delilah Grace in his arms.
Sporting assessment of the 12th stage
And another one of those nasty finishes for the sprinters. On the one hand, there is the last hill, which at ten kilometres is still relatively far away from the finish line, but steep enough to tear the field apart. On the other hand, there are many bends of 90 degrees and more in the final kilometres, which also do not help to ensure a bunch sprint without a hectic pace. On the other hand, they do provide opportunities for any breakaway riders who have made it this far to keep the peloton at bay for a little less time. It wouldn't be too much of a surprise if a group came through here.
Giro d'Italia 2024 - Stage 12: The most important information at a glance
- Flat stage with a few hills over 193 kilometres
- Mountain classifications: 4, sprint classifications: 3
- Start time: 12:25 pm
- Estimated arrival time: between 16:59 and 17:28
- TV: from 12:15 pm Eurosport 1
- Live stream: from 12:15 pm Discovery Plus
- More info on TV broadcast & live stream
