Giro d'Italia: Stage 12 Preview - Seravezza to Sestri Levante 155 km

A stage that starts and finishes on the coast, and heads along it for the opening 50 kilometres, but after that there are a succession of tough climbs as the race goes into the hills above the Ligurian sea. Inside the final ten kilometres, there’s a fast descent from the day’s last climb, as well as a 180-degree bend just 500 metres from the finish.

Alessandro Petacchi, left out of the Lampre team, has admitted he’s not up to this year’s Giro after struggling with bronchitis, and while this isn’t a sprinter’s stage, he’ll have mixed feelings about missing it – he lives close to the start, and was born in La Spezia, which the race passes through shortly before the bumpy stuff starts.

GT: I think another breakaway day, for the GC men, unless they’re particularly dangerous, they’re not going to make any advantage there. It will just be a day for them to limit the amount of work they’ve got to do, really. I can’t see any teams really wanting to bring a break back, it’s tough terrain as well, they’ll have to ride quite hard. It will be a hard day and a big fight at the start, and probably a decent sized break.

For more on this year's race read our full Giro d'Italia Preview.