Giro 2026: Alec Segaert surprises peloton with late attack in Novi Ligure

Alec Segaert won the twelfth stage of the Giro d'Italia in sensational fashion. The Belgian from Bahrain Victorious attacked from a thinning peloton with three kilometers to go. He managed to stay ahead on his own and won a stage in a Grand Tour for the first time in his career. Toon Aerts completed the Belgian celebration by sprinting to second place three seconds later.

The twelfth stage ran from Imperia to Novi Ligure. The 175-kilometer stage did not feature extreme climbs but was certainly not completely flat either. The Colle Giovo (11.4 km at 4.2%) and the Bric Berton (5.5 km at 5.9%) were the main challenges of the day. After the last climb, there were over fifty kilometers left, mostly on flat roads towards the finish, although a few short hills still appeared on the route.

From the start, we saw several attacks. Eventually, a breakaway group of five formed, including Dutch rider Jardi Christiaan van der Lee (EF Education-EasyPost) and Belgian Jonas Geens (Alpecin-Premier Tech). They were accompanied by Juan Pedro López (Movistar), Manuele Tarozzi (Bardiani CSF 7 Saber), and Mattia Bais (Polti VisitMalta).

New breakaway group
The gap to the peloton briefly reached two minutes, but Unibet Rose Rockets and Soudal Quick-Step quickly reduced the difference. These teams aimed to set up sprint finishes for Dylan Groenewegen and Paul Magnier respectively. Because of their work, the difference dropped below one minute, tempting some riders to counterattack. The race suddenly became fully dynamic.

In no time, the five initial escapees were joined by a bunch of riders including Jasper Stuyven, Hartthijs de Vries, Lukas Kubis, Oliver Naesen, and Fabio Van den Bossche. From this new group, six riders then broke away: again Van der Lee, Geens, and Tarozzi, this time accompanied by Fredrik Dversnes, Johan Jacobs, and Jonas Rutsch.

Movistar breaks the sprinters
The six started the Colle Giovo with almost a one and a half minute advantage over the peloton. On the climb, however, the lead shrank as Movistar pushed the pace hard. The Spanish team aimed to drop the pure sprinters in support of Orluis Aular. They succeeded, as Tobias Lund Andresen and Dylan Groenewegen soon fell behind. Riders like Jensen Plowright and Pascal Ackermann also dropped off.

Jonathan Milan, Paul Magnier, and Casper van Uden seemed to survive the Colle Giovo but dropped just before the summit. They were able to close the small gap again, but shortly after the Bric Berton appeared. Meanwhile, Van der Lee, the last escapee, was caught. The Dutchman had been the first to reach the top of the Colle Giovo.

Milan, Magnier, and Van Uden chase back
Back to the Bric Berton. At two and a half kilometers from the top of this climb, Magnier dropped again. Van Uden followed not long after, but Milan was still hanging in there. Only about one kilometer from the summit did the Italian let the peloton go. In that last kilometer, Milan quickly lost ground and ended up rejoining the group with Magnier and Van Uden at the top.

Milan, Magnier, Van Uden, and their helpers reached the top less than a minute behind. Before the real descent began, their gap widened again. Movistar had received support from NSN Cycling and EF Education-EasyPost, both of which had fast riders in the lead group: Ethan Vernon and Madis Mihkels respectively.

Eulálio grabs bonuses, Ciccone attacks
The gap fluctuated around one minute and fifteen seconds for a long time but eventually started to grow. With twenty kilometers left, it was clear Milan, Magnier, and Van Uden would not return. The finish was shaping up for a sprint from a depleted peloton without the absolute top sprinters.

At thirteen kilometers from the finish, there was first the Red Bull kilometer. Here, pink jersey Afonso Eulálio picked up six bonus seconds while Ben O'Connor took four. The other favorites did not involve themselves in these moves. On a short climb seven kilometers from the line, we saw some action. Giulio Ciccone attacked, and Igor Arrieta jumped up to him.

Late break by Segaert
The two were soon caught again, after which Visma | Lease a Bike took control once more. The Dutch team rode relatively calmly at the front when Alec Segaert attacked with just over three kilometers to go. The Belgian from Bahrain Victorious opened a significant gap while the sprinters’ teams waited and watched. A few more attacks followed, but no one was able to rejoin Segaert.

The Belgian began the final kilometer with more than a ten-second lead. Meanwhile, Uno-X Mobility was driving the peloton at the front, but it was already too late. Segaert was not caught and scored the biggest victory of his still young career. Toon Aerts sprinted shortly afterwards to second place, with Guillermo Thomas Silva finishing third.

🚴🇮🇹 | Alec Segaert doet het! De aanval was oh zo voorspelbaar, maar desondanks oh zo goed. Amai kroket! 🇧🇪 #GirodItalia

Wielrennen 👀 HBO Max pic.twitter.com/iJQA5X9uzL

— Eurosport Nederland (@Eurosport_NL) May 21, 2026