Giro d’Italia 2025 LIVE: Stage 12 result and updates as Olav Kooij wins thrilling sprint

Visma-Lease a Bike’s Giro d’Italia continued to improve as Olav Kooij picked up his first win of this year’s race

(AP)

The 2025 Giro d’Italia continued with a day out for the sprinters after several intriguing stages in the battle for the general classification.

A three-man breakaway was reeled in as the riders headed onto the closing circuit in the city centre of Viadana, teeing up the expected bunch sprint on stage 12.

And it was Olav Kooij of Visma-Lease a Bike who won a thrilling, closely contested five-way battle.

Stage four winner Casper van Uden launched early but his compatriot switched effortlessly from the phenomenal leadout of teammate Wout van Aert onto van Uden’s wheel, before rounding him with ease closer to the line.

Mads Pedersen still leads the points classification by a huge margin but could not add to his three stage wins, finishing fourth, while Ben Turner of Ineos Grenadiers sprinted impressively for third, behind van Uden.

Follow all the action with The Independent’s live blog below:

Giro d'Italia stage 12 LIVE

• Giro continues with stage 12, a 172km sprint stage from Modena to Viadana
• Isaac del Toro added to his advantage in the GC with bonus seconds on stage 11
• Stage 11 was won by Richard Carapaz with an audacious late attack
• Primoz Roglic remains fifth, more than a minute off the lead
• Olav Kooij wins stage 12

[22 May 2025 14:38 · Flo Clifford]

Onto the descent (90km to go)

The escapees are onto a descent down into the valley before the start of the day’s second categorised climb. Tarozzi is having a hard time keeping in contact with his companions. The gap is holding steady at 1:38.

Simon Geschke on the TNT Sports in-race motorbike says the wind has picked up and we could be seeing splits in the peloton.

[22 May 2025 14:27 · Flo Clifford]

Pedersen nabs points too (98km to go)

Pedersen was allowed to swing off the front of the peloton to pick up some more points too - looks like most of his points jersey rivals are giving up the ghost. He then gets a flat, but no harm done as he’s soon back in the bunch. The riders are tackling some more undulating terrain.

The gap is fluctuating; it was down to 1:30 but is now back out to 1:53.

[22 May 2025 14:08 · Jack Rathborn]

Pietrobon wins intermediate sprint (110km to go)

The tower of Felina brings an intermediate sprint, and Epic looks strong, but the twists and turns, on the wet surface.

Tarozzi relaxes and lets the duo fight it out: Epis stuck behind and looks to kick on beyond Pietrobon, but just runs out of track... Well held by Pietrobon to claim maximum points, with his teammate Tonelli topping the points classification.

The gap back to the peloton has been sliced too: +1:16. Notably Pedersen breaks off to capture the remaining points too.

[22 May 2025 13:56 · Jack Rathborn]

Epis leads trio at front of race (117km to go)

The roads are slick on the route to Viadana, and the peloton remains +2:06...

Epis, Pietrobon and Tarozzi out in front, winding down the hill, flaring out the knee as they navigate a series of tight corners.

Epis, in the rouge, leads this little battle between the trio, a win today for Team Picnic Postnl could lift them out of the relegation places.

(EPA)

[22 May 2025 13:50 · Flo Clifford]

Isaac Del Toro in pink

Isaac del Toro had a bit of a natter with Mads Pedersen at the start line. The Mexican extended his lead over teammate Ayuso to 31 seconds in yesterday’s uphill finish and will no doubt enjoy a chance to sit back and relax in the bunch today.

(AFP/Getty)

[22 May 2025 13:35 · Flo Clifford]

Tarozzi wins KOM (130km to go)

Manuele Tarozzi takes Epis and Pietrobon over the KOM at Basio, in that order. None of these gents are threats to the overall KOM classification, still helmed by Lorenzo Fortunato in the blue jersey. The maglia azzurra comes to the fore in the peloton to nab the remaining one point.

There’s a spatter of rain on the camera, but it doesn’t look too bad at the moment. Hopefully the rain holds off at the finish - but it does look like clouds are looming in the distance.

[22 May 2025 13:26 · Flo Clifford]

Mechanical for Roglic (134km to go)

Primoz Roglic has had a mechanical and needs a bike change. He just can’t catch a break - not that this is the sort of day for del Toro or Ayuso to attack.

2.8km to the top.

[22 May 2025 13:16 · Flo Clifford]

Climbing begins (139km to go)

The riders are onto the first climb of the day, a 4.8km category-three ascent averaging 6%. The break have 2:17 on the bunch as it stands and we could see them brought back well before the finish if it continues like this.

Jimmy Janssens leads Alpecin and the peloton onto the climb.

The Giro graphics tell us that it’s 15 years to the day since Vincenzo Nibali’s first win at the corsa rosa, in Asolo.

[22 May 2025 13:05 · Flo Clifford]

Sprinters' teams controlling (145km to go)

As expected, the likes of Visma-Lease a Bike, Alpecin-Deceuninck, and Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale are controlling the pace and keeping the breakaway’s advantage to a little under three minutes.

[22 May 2025 12:51 · Flo Clifford]

Three-man breakaway (156km to go)

The riders now head through Maranello, home of Ferrari, but at a much more sedate pace than the likes of Hamilton and Leclerc.

So, our breakaway, who now have three minutes and growing on the bunch. A rather fruitless day in the saddle awaits them, unfortunately. The three are Giosue Epis (Arkea - B&B Hotels), Andrea Pietrobon (Polti VisitMalta), and Manuele Tarozzi (VF Group - Bardiani CSF - Faizane).