Refresh
125km to go
Finally the race has settled as we head towards the first categorised climb of the day, the Passo del Bocco.
It’s the first time the climb has been included in the Giro since the death of Wouter Weylandt during the race in 2011. The race will today honour Weylandt as it descends the Passo del Bocco.
Magnus Cort leads the charge as the breakaway battle is fought over the first 60km of Stage 12.
The highest placed rider on GC among the breakaway is Wilco Kelderman, who sits at 11.02 behind the maglia rosa, Juanpe López
Teams that have missed the break include Ineos Grenadiers and UAE Team Emirates.
130km to go
So – as we stand we have a group of riders 22-men strong at the front of the race, as follows:
Cort (EFE), Leemreize (TJV), Eenkhoorn (TJV), Denz (DSM), Kelderman (BOH), Van der Poel (AFC), Vendrame (ACT), Ballerini (QSV), Oldani (AFC), Mollema (TSF), Buitrago (TBV), Taaramae (IWG), Sobrero (BEX), Riesebeek (AFC), Sutterlin (TBV), Hamilton (BEX), Schwarzmann (LTS), Conti (ASQ), Albanese (EOK), Benedetti (BOH), Barta (MOV), Rota (IWG)
Three riders – two from Bardiani and one from Drone Hopper are chasing, currently at 44 seconds.
The peloton remain 1.20 back.
The make-up of the front group is as follows:
Cort (EFE), Leemreize (TJV), Eenkhoorn (TJV), Denz (DSM), Kelderman (BOH), Van der Poel (AFC), Vendrame (ACT), Ballerini (QSV), Oldani (AFC), Mollema (TSF), Buitrago (TBV), Taaramae (IWG), Sobrero (BEX), Riesebeek (AFC), Sutterlin (TBV), Hamilton (BEX), Schwarzmann (LTS), Conti (ASQ)
The gap is now 55 seconds.
De Marchi and de Bondt give up the chase.
Bardiani are riding on the front of the bunch trying to close the gap as they have missed the break.
It looks as though we may finally have our breakaway. After over 60km, the front group have 40 seconds on the peloton. The chasing pair of de Marchi and de Bondt are 22 seconds behind the leaders.
140km to go
Alessandro de Marchi (Israel-Premier Tech) and yesterday’s late attacker Dries de Bondt (Alpecin-Fenix) are in pursuit of the front group.
Buitrago, Taaramae, Kelderman, Vendrame, Consonni, Eenkhoorn, Cort and Denz are some of the names among the large group of riders who now have 16 seconds on the chasing pack.
The front group is around 30 riders strong. At the front of the chasing pack, Ineos Grenadiers are trying to bring them back.
Alpecin-Fenix once again have numbers up front, as do Jumbo Visma. They still have a small gap on the rest.
A small group including Richard Carapaz and Richie Porte from INEOS Grenadiers is chasing the large front group. It looks as if this will bring everything back together once more.
A huge group of riders has a gap on the peloton, and are trying to make it stick.
The peloton is stretched out in one long line as they depart Borgo val di Taro and head into the region of Liguria.
145km to go
The breakneck speed of the first 60km of the race is clearly taking its toll on the riders, who look to one another to see who will make the next move.
Arnaud Démare (Groupama-FDJ) takes the 12 points at the intermediate sprint, following by Fernando Gaviria.
The race for the breakaway kicks off once more, with Dries de Bondt (Alpecin-Fenix) leading.
Hostilities have been neutralised as we head towards the intermediate sprint. Arnaud Démare is visible at the front of the bunch with his lead-out train.
150km to go
We are heading into the first intermediate sprint of the day just outside Borgo val di Taro, where riders contending for the maglia ciclamino will race for points.
The riders involved in the latest move include Lennard Kämna (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Edoardo Affini (Team Jumbo Visma), along with riders from Bardiani, EOLO-Kometa and Cofidis. It looks to be coming back together again, though.
Six riders have a gap – will this be the one that sticks?
The front of the peloton is all over the road as riders once again try to get away. Almost 50km of the longest stage of this year’s Giro have passed, and it’s been relentless.
155km to go
Mechanical for Cesare Benedetti (Bora-Hansgrohe) – he’s quickly sorted and on his way.
Yet again, the bunch are back together. The first intermediate sprint of the day is approaching.
A substantial group of riders suddenly find themselves with a gap on the peloton. Eduardo Affini (Jumbo Visma) and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin Fenix) are spear-heading the move.
160km to go
All back together once more. Israel-Premier Tech lead the peloton.
With 40km of the stage elapsed, we are still waiting for a calming of hostilities. Arcas, de la Cruz and Craddock still have a small gap, with the rest strung out in the peloton.
The maglia rosa, Juanpe Lopez, appears to be slightly isolated towards the back of the bunch.
165km to go
A second group with EF EducationEasypost, QuickStep-AlphaVinyl and Alpecin Fenix riders have pulled away from the bunch in pursuit of the leading group of three.
Correction: the Movistar rider is Jorge Arcas. He, Craddock and de la Cruz have seven seconds on the peloton now, with more riders trying to bridge across.
David de la Cruz (Astana Qazaqstan), Lawson Craddock (Team BikeExchange Jayco) and Lazkano (Movistar) open up a small gap on the chasing pack.
170km to go
As the riders try once again to get away gaps begin to appear in a strung out peloton. Jumbo Visma are the next team to pressure, along with Wilco Kelderman.
Riders from Intermarche Wanty Gobert, Lotto Soudal and Astana Qazaqstan now lead the peloton as the fight for the breakaway continues.
It’s not an easy start to the day for the 165 riders left at the Giro d’Italia. Almost 90km of false flat will be followed by the first categorised climb of the day, the Passo del Bocco.
175km to go
Almost 30km down and still, the attacks come. Alpecin-Fenix try again, with Stefano Oldani. Israel-Premier Tech’s Alessandro de Marchi are the next pair to try and escape.
Race leader Juan Pedro López (Trek-Segafredo) before Stage 12.
The front group of four has a gap of 15 seconds on the peloton. Van der Poel and some of his team mates are still keen to bridge the gap and join them.
Pascal Eenkhoorn (Team Jumbo Visma), Pieter Serry (QuickStep-Alpha Vinyl), Oier Lazkano (Movistar) and Matteo Sobrero (Team BikeExchange Jayco) have formed a lead group of four and have a gap on the peloton.
There’s a great deal of interest in being a part of today’s breakaway. Riders from Bora-Hansgrohe, BikeExchange Jayco, Jumbo Visma, and Movistar are the next to try their luck.
185km to go
With almost 20km of the day already elapsed, a breakaway still has yet to be established, with the tempo high and the peloton playing close attention to all moves.
Van der Poel once again tries to attack at the front of the bunch, with a number of riders in tow.
190km to go
Everything is back together again with the leading group of five riders reabsorbed into the peloton.
More riders are escaping from the peloton to try and bridge to the leading group of five riders. The peloton is closing the gap.
Caleb Ewan was a DNS at the beginning of stage 12.
A small group has a gap on the rest of the peloton: it includes Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix), Alessandro Covi (UAE Team Emirates), Luca Rastelli (Bardiani), Stefano Oldani (Alpecin-Fenix) and Matthew Holmes (Lotto Soudal).
A second attack begins with Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) and Alessandro Covi (UAE Team Emirates) involved.
The attacks beings with Oscar Riesebeek (Alpecin-Fenix), Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) and a number of Lotto Soudal riders among the early contenders.
It could take a while to establish this breakaway today with interest from many teams.
The race gets underway – 204km in the saddle awaits the 165 riders that remain in the 2022 Giro d’Italia.
Slight delay to the race start as Arnaud Démare undergoes some costume alterations.
The peloton rolls out of Parma awaiting the official race start. It’s the first stage start in Parma since 1983.
Today’s stage includes three categorised climbs, all category three. The first comes after over 90km of almost constant climbing.
With temperatures in excess of 30 degrees celsius forecast, the riders will have to contend with the heat as well as the parcours. They begin inland before working their way east towards the coast.
Juanpe Lopez (Trek-Segafredo) leads the general classification by 12 seconds. It’s the young Spaniard’s eighth day in the maglia rosa.
Arnaud Démare (Groupama-FDJ) still leads in the points competition. Diego Rosa (EOLO-Kometa) leads the mountains classification, and João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) wears the young rider’s jersey in lieu of Juanpe Lopez.
Good morning and welcome to live coverage of Stage 12 of the Giro d’Italia. Stay with us all day for regular updates on the action from the peloton. Will it be a day for the breakaway, or can the sprint teams control the pace for a second bunch sprint finish in as many days?
