Alec Segaert surprises at the Giro with an impossible attack and achieves a brilliant victory in Novi Ligure

Alec Segaert achieved one of the most unexpected and spectacular victories of the 2026 Giro d'Italia by winning stage 12 with an attack just three kilometers from the finish. The Belgian from Bahrain Victorious took advantage of a moment of doubt in the peloton to launch a perfect offensive and hold on until the finish line in Novi Ligure, also marking the first Belgian victory of this edition.

The Giro reveals the best Alec Segaert with a spectacular long-range victory

The stage between Imperia and Novi Ligure seemed designed for resilient sprinters. The route included two climbs in the second half of the race, enough to toughen the day but not so much as to completely eliminate the sprinters capable of making it over the hills. Teams like Movistar, EF Education-EasyPost, and Soudal Quick-Step increased the pace on the climbs precisely aiming to reduce the group before the finish.

The big loser was Jonathan Milan. The Italian struggled on the Colle Giovo and ultimately fell behind on the ascent to Bric Berton, where other fast riders like Paul Magnier and Casper van Uden also got dropped. Movistar took on much of the workload again to prepare for a possible reduced finish for Orluis Aular, while EF collaborated with an eye on Madis Mihkels.

The day's breakaway never had much of a chance. Jonas Geens, Juanpe López, Manuele Tarozzi, and Mattia Bais managed to open up a gap of just over a minute, but the control from the sprinter teams kept the difference under constant surveillance. As the kilometers passed, the race began to select itself, leaving a clearly reduced peloton for the final resolution.

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When everything pointed to a sprint among the survivors, Alec Segaert appeared. The Belgian attacked just as they entered the last three kilometers, taking advantage of a moment of indecision at the front of the group. His move was reminiscent of the display he put on earlier this year at the GP Denain, although this time the stage was much larger.

Segaert quickly opened up a decisive gap, and despite the long straight stretch to the finish, he managed to maintain his lead thanks to an enormous solo effort. Behind him, the peloton reacted too late and also failed to mount a truly organized chase.

The victory turned out to be even more special for Belgium because Toon Aerts secured second place by winning the sprint of the chasing group. Thomas Silva completed the podium after another solid performance from XDS Astana.

The general classification did not suffer significant changes, and Afonso Eulálio easily retained the pink jersey before facing the upcoming decisive mountain stages.

Top 10 stage 12 Giro d'Italia 2026

1. Alec Segaert (Bahrain Victorious) – 3:53:00
2. Toon Aerts (Lotto Intermarché no) – at 3 s
3. Thomas Silva (XDS Astana) – at 3 s
4. Ethan Vernon (NSN Cycling) – at 3 s
5. Jasper Stuyven (Soudal Quick-Step) – at 3 s
6. Orluis Aular (Movistar Team) – at 3 s
7. Madis Mihkels (EF Education-EasyPost) – at 3 s
8. Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Team Emirates) – at 3 s
9. Edoardo Zambanini (Bahrain Victorious) – at 3 s
10. Sakarias Løland (Uno-X Mobility) – at 3 s

Top 10 general Giro d'Italia 2026 after stage 12

1. Afonso Eulálio (Bahrain Victorious) – 48:10:38
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) – at 33 s
3. Thymen Arensman (Netcompany INEOS) – at 2:03
4. Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) – at 2:30
5. Ben O’Connor (Jayco AlUla) – at 2:50
6. Jai Hindley (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) – at 3:12
7. Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling) – at 3:34
8. Derek Gee (Lidl-Trek) – at 3:40
9. Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) – at 3:42
10. Chris Harper (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) – at 4:15