Segaert surprised the sprinters in Novi Ligure, Eulálio increased his lead at the Giro
Belgian rider Alec Segaert achieved his first stage victory in one of the three Grand Tour races after launching the decisive attack three kilometres before the finish of stage 12 of the Giro d’Italia on 21 May 2026. The Bahrain Victorious rider triumphed in Novi Ligure after the 175-kilometre section from Imperia, in a stage that on paper offered an opportunity to the sprinters, but on the road turned into a day for durable and tactically brave riders. Giro organisers announced that Segaert finished the stage in 3 hours, 53 minutes and 0 seconds, at an average speed of 45.064 kilometres per hour. Behind him, three seconds back, second place went to Toon Aerts of Lotto Intermarché, while third was Guillermo Thomas Silva of XDS Astana in the same time as Aerts. The stage further strengthened Bahrain Victorious’s position in the race because Portuguese rider Afonso Eulálio, Segaert’s teammate, retained the pink jersey and increased his advantage over Jonas Vingegaard to 33 seconds.
The attack that changed the expected outcome
According to the official Giro d’Italia report, the key moment occurred on the approach to the finale, when Segaert took advantage of a pause in cooperation within the reduced main group. After earlier attempts by Giulio Ciccone and Igor Arrieta had been neutralised by the work of Team Visma | Lease a Bike, the Belgian rider went decisively and quickly opened a gap that proved sufficient. The organisers stated that his move was made around three kilometres before the finish, at a moment when many expected preparation for a sprint from the reduced group. Instead, Segaert imposed a rhythm that the exhausted peloton could no longer close down. He reached the finish line in Novi Ligure alone, with enough of an advantage to celebrate victory before the battle for second place began behind him.
Such an outcome was especially valuable for Bahrain Victorious because the team not only won the stage but also further protected its leading position in the general classification on the same day. During the stage, according to the official race report, Eulálio took six bonus seconds at the so-called Red Bull KM, which was enough to increase his advantage over Vingegaard. In the general classification after stage 12, Eulálio is first, Vingegaard of Team Visma | Lease a Bike is second at 33 seconds, and Thymen Arensman of Netcompany Ineos is third at 2 minutes and 3 seconds. Thus the race, despite the victory of a rider who is not among the main contenders for the overall title, gained additional tension in the fight for the pink jersey. Vingegaard still remained the biggest name among the candidates for overall victory, but after stage 12 he had to reckon with the fact that Eulálio was no longer just a temporary leader.
The sprinters lost control of the stage
The section from Imperia to Novi Ligure had a profile that before the start could have suggested a final showdown among the fast riders, but the development of the race showed the opposite. In its official stage description, the Giro d’Italia states that the pace was nervous from the first kilometres and that after approximately 15 kilometres a group of five riders broke away. The initial breakaway included Jonas Geens, Manuele Tarozzi, Jardi Christiaan Van der Lee, Juan Pedro Lopez and Mattia Bais, but the peloton did not allow that group to build an unreachable advantage. After 75 kilometres, new attacks followed, and an additional group tried to join the leaders, forcing the main group to spend energy earlier than would have suited the sprint teams.
The climbs of Colle Giovo and Bric Berton brought a change in the stage dynamics. According to the organisers’ report, Movistar increased the pace on Colle Giovo in order to remove the sprinters from contention, a tactic it had already used earlier in the race. Tobias Lund Andresen and Dylan Groenewegen quickly lost contact, while Paul Magnier and Jonathan Milan, two very important sprint cards in this Giro, resisted for a while, but in the end they too were left behind the main group. Although Magnier and Milan briefly returned, renewed pressure on Bric Berton again distanced them from the head of the race. With 52 kilometres left to the finish, the sprint plan was no longer safe, and the main group had been reduced to approximately 60 riders.
In such a situation, the teams that did not want a classic sprint got what they were looking for: a finale without full control by the sprint trains. EF Education–EasyPost and NSN, according to the official report, further maintained a high pace, which prevented Milan and Magnier from returning to the group fighting for victory. This opened space for riders like Segaert, who have the strength of a time trialist and the ability to hold high intensity in a short, decisive attack. In the finale, therefore, the decision was not only about speed in the final 200 metres, but about who had enough freshness and courage to go before the sprint. Segaert made that assessment most accurately.
Bahrain Victorious gained a double reason to celebrate
Segaert’s victory also has broader team significance because Bahrain Victorious had already been wearing the pink jersey for days in this race through Afonso Eulálio. The official Giro website states that after stage 12 the team kept the Maglia Rosa with the Portuguese rider for the ninth day. For the team, that is an important run of results because it combines stage success and leadership in the general classification, two things that rarely coincide at a Grand Tour without an exceptionally strong collective performance. Segaert’s victory in Novi Ligure further drew attention to the depth of the Bahrain Victorious squad. Eulálio simultaneously showed that he knows how to use bonuses and that in the fight for the general classification he does not want to be merely a passive defender of his advantage.
According to the official statement published after the stage, Segaert said that the victory was extremely important to him because he had already won before at the Giro Next Gen and in the junior categories, but that triumph at the Giro d’Italia lifted him to a new level. He added that he had already been thinking the previous evening about an attack with three kilometres to go and that he stuck to that idea throughout the day. His statement shows that the victory was not an accidental reaction in a chaotic finale, but a plan that waited for the right moment. He particularly emphasised that after disappointment in the time trial he wanted to respond on the road. That is precisely why the victory in Novi Ligure had a personal dimension for him as well, not only a sporting statistical one.
A Belgian day after almost half a century of waiting
The victory gained additional symbolism because Belgian riders took the first two places. Giro organisers highlighted that Belgium achieved a one-two victory on a Giro stage for the first time in 48 years. The last such case happened in 1978 in Silvi Marina, when Rik Van Linden finished ahead of Roger De Vlaeminck. In Novi Ligure, that sequence was renewed by Segaert’s victory and second place for Toon Aerts, a rider known for cyclo-cross for whom this was, according to the official report, the first road podium of his professional career. Third place for Guillermo Thomas Silva further confirmed that the finale was better suited to riders capable of surviving a hard pace than to classic sprinters.
For Segaert, born in 2003, this victory comes at a point in his career when young riders are often still proving themselves in helper roles or as specialists for specific tasks. The official Giro profile lists him as a Belgian rider of Bahrain Victorious, and after stage 12 he was 71st in the general classification. That means his victory did not change the fight at the very top of the general standings, but it strongly influenced the daily picture of the race and the reputation of the young Belgian. For a rider of such a profile, victory at a Grand Tour can be a turning point because it confirms the ability to turn a tactical idea into a result in front of the best teams in the world. In the context of the Giro, it is also a reminder that stages expected to be for sprinters often become a stage for a different type of winner.
Eulálio remains in pink, Vingegaard still threatens
The most important consequence of the stage for the general classification is the increase in Eulálio’s lead. According to the official Giro d’Italia results, after stage 12 the Portuguese rider leads Jonas Vingegaard by 33 seconds, while Thymen Arensman is third at 2 minutes and 3 seconds. ProCyclingStats also records that Eulálio took the lead after stage five, from Praia a Mare to Potenza, and that he retained it through the following stages, including stage 12 from Imperia to Novi Ligure. Such continuity gives him ever greater weight in the race, although the later stages of the Giro are expected to strongly test his abilities in the mountains. A lead of 33 seconds is not a secure reserve against a rider of Vingegaard’s profile, but it is enough for the Portuguese rider to dictate part of the tactics in the days that follow.
Vingegaard has already shown during the race so far that he can take time on demanding finishes. According to ProCyclingStats data, the Dane won stage seven with the finish on Blockhaus and stage nine from Cervia to Corno alle Scale. Those results confirm why he remains the main reference candidate for overall victory, even when he is not wearing the pink jersey. For Eulálio, therefore, every bonus, every stage without losing time and every day in which the team controls the race are of great importance. After Novi Ligure, his advantage is not large, but it is psychologically important because it was increased in a stage in which the main favourites were not necessarily expected to duel with one another.
The Giro enters the second half with open questions
The Giro d’Italia 2026 is being held in its 109th edition and, according to ProCyclingStats, has 21 stages over a total of 3,468 kilometres, from the start in Nessebar to the finish in Rome. After stage 12, nine racing days remain, which means that the fight for the general classification is only now entering its decisive part. After Novi Ligure, the schedule continues with stage 13 from Alessandria to Verbania, followed by mountain and transition days that could change the top of the standings. The official Giro schedule and specialised results databases show that the race will finish on 31 May in Rome. Until then, Eulálio will have to defend his advantage against Vingegaard, Arensman and the other contenders in situations that will increasingly forgive no bad day.
The stage to Novi Ligure was therefore not only the unexpected victory of one young Belgian. It showed that Bahrain Victorious has several ways to influence the race: through Segaert’s stage attack, through Eulálio’s fight for bonuses and through collective control at key moments. For the sprint teams, it was a missed opportunity, because Milan, Magnier and other fast riders were left without the finale they might have wished for. For the general classification favourites, it was a stage in which not much time was lost, but the nuances in the psychology of the race changed. Eulálio is in pink with a somewhat larger advantage, Vingegaard is still close enough for the pressure not to ease, and the Giro gained a winner who, with an attack three kilometres before the finish, reminded everyone how one well-chosen second can change an entire day.
Sources:
- Giro d’Italia – official report on Alec Segaert’s victory in stage 12, stage results and general classification (link)
- Giro d’Italia – official profile of Alec Segaert and data on team, nationality and placing after stage 12 (link)
- ProCyclingStats – overview of stage winners, leader’s jersey holders and the Giro d’Italia 2026 schedule (link)