La 12e étape du Tour d'Italie a souri aux baroudeurs, et le plus fort d'entre eux ce jeudi, ça a été Julian Alaphilippe ! Accompagné du seul Mirco Maestri (Team Polti Kometa) pendant près de 120 kilomètres, le coureur de la Soudal Quick-Step a distancé l'Italien dans la dernière bosse du jour et résisté au retour des poursuivants pour devenir le 109e coureur à remporter au moins une étape sur chacun des trois Grands Tours. Cela faisait plus de onze mois que le deuxième de l'étape de Rapolano Terme n'avait pas levé les bras. Après Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis) et Valentin Paret-Peintre (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team), Julian Alaphilippe est le troisième coureur français à décrocher un succès sur ce 107e Giro.
Video : @GirodItalia
Video : @GirodItalia
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SportTranscription
00:00 [Music]
00:03 Alaphilippe has got it! The complete package on display today!
00:07 Alaphilippe in victory!
00:10 Woohoo!
00:12 [Laughter]
00:14 [Music]
00:32 The 12th stage of the Giro d'Italia, the French driver and defender of the Sotana Gipsetta
00:39 Give a round of applause to the Italian driver, Lulu Alaphilippe!
00:45 [Applause]
00:47 [Music]
00:56 [Music]
01:01 [Music]
01:08 [Music]
01:10 [Music]
01:16 [Music]
01:26 [Music]
01:32 [Music]
01:38 It's a victory that comes from far away, in terms of kilometers, but also it's been a long time.
01:43 What do you think?
01:44 It's a victory that does a lot of good, an important victory for me.
01:48 I think of my wife and my son, who have supported me a lot lately and always.
01:57 I also thank my whole team, who have controlled the beginning of the stage very well.
02:02 I told them that I had passed the stage. I'm really happy to have arrived. Thank you.
02:09 Today, having done the first hour very fast, what do you think of the victory of Julian Alaphilippe?
02:21 Today was a very fast day. Alaphilippe showed his best. He has been trying a lot of days now.
02:31 Today was actually incredible what he did.
02:35 A big shout-out to Lulu. Today he did an amazing victory.
02:39 Is it what champions do?
02:42 Yes, this is what champions do. A ride like this, I think not a lot of riders are capable of doing.
02:49 He proved that he is one of the best in the world.
02:52 Stage 12 and a really interesting days racing ahead of the peloton.
03:14 A series of categorized and uncategorized climbs over 193 kilometers from Martin Securo to a finish in Marche on the coast in Fano.
03:24 Tadej Pogacar with a race to defend and the expectation that a breakaway would make it to the line.
03:30 That meant on the first 55 kilometers of the race, which were flat and along the coast and blown on by another day of strong tailwinds,
03:38 but the attacking was fast and furious and it took a long time for a breakaway to establish itself.
03:44 In fact, it wasn't until the race had already ticked off the first 55 kilometers and the climbs began,
03:50 that the definitive breakaway of the day, and it would be huge, started to get clear.
03:56 Continually, groups of three or four riders animated the front of the race,
04:00 but on the first uncategorized climb of the day, it was Julian Alaphilippe of Soudal Quick-Step taking riders with him,
04:06 and Jonathan Navaez who went clear, eventually prizing a huge breakaway group of 36 riders,
04:12 which ebbed and flowed, splintered and reformed, but eventually created a massive breakaway at the front of the race.
04:19 Too big in fact for Julian Alaphilippe and Mirko Maestri.
04:22 Those two riders with 125 kilometers remaining, clipped off the front and started between them to build up a lead
04:29 and scooped up all the intermediate sprints and king of the mountains.
04:34 Categorized and uncategorized, the two riders were off the front of the race
04:38 and putting pressure on the various different chase groups that formed and reformed behind them.
04:42 Jan Heert of Soudal Quick-Step was also up the road and forcing Bahrain-Victorious to chase behind in the peloton
04:49 because he was a threat to the top 10 on GC.
04:52 But at the front of the race, Julian Alaphilippe and Mirko Maestri were in the hunt for the stage victory.
04:58 The climb to Monsano was the second categorized climb of the day and they had over a minute's advantage
05:05 to a chase group that eventually settled down to 9 good riders, including Jonathan Nevaes.
05:10 Then at the Intergiro, Enripe, Mirko Maestri led Julian Alaphilippe,
05:17 just as he did over the final categorized climb of the day at La Croce.
05:21 Still working together as they headed to Mondolfo on the final bonus sprint of the day with 30km remaining
05:29 and an advantage on the flat approach to the last uncategorized climb of Monte Giove
05:34 which was being chipped away at a group of 9 riders, including Nevaes,
05:38 trying to bring the two riders at the front of the race back so that they could ride across and attack.
05:44 On the final uncategorized climb then, Julian Alaphilippe left Mirko Maestri
05:49 and behind, Michael Valgren and Jonathan Nevaes as well as Quintin Hermans and Christian Schirroni
05:54 attacked the rest of the chase group.
05:57 Julian Alaphilippe then, within the final 6km, had over 30 seconds advantage over Hermans and Nevaes.
06:04 And one of the most special victories of his career, a double world champion, a monument winner
06:10 and has shown a pair of heels to the rest of this race.
06:14 He's not just outclassed them, outboxed them, he's outridden them.
06:19 Absolutely spectacular, wonderful, chapeau, 500m to go. He's going to love this bit.
06:24 Let the celebrations begin. Julian Alaphilippe is back.
06:29 He said as much, he said there's more to come when he was beaten the other day into second place
06:33 and he has proven his point. He completes the set of Grand Tour stage wins.
06:38 A winner at the Vuelta, a winner of multiple stages at the Tour de France,
06:42 a former Maillot Jean, a double world champion and now the winner of stage 12 at the Giro d'Italia.
06:49 A race of skill, brains, brawn, panache, style, you name it, Alaphilippe has got it.
06:57 The complete package on display today. Alaphilippe in victory.
07:03 Woohoo!
07:06 31 years of age and dispatching the field in the Giro, Mirko Maestri finishing top 10 in ninth.
07:31 No change in the GC, Tadej Pogacar, smooth progress to the end for him, the top 10 as you were.
07:38 And no change either in the Mallea Ciclamino, save for the fact that Julian Alaphilippe has bumped himself up to fifth place.
07:46 No change either in the King of the Mountains, just 12 points on offer today and Simon Gesko wasn't up the road.
07:53 And it's as you were in the white jersey standings as well, Antonio Tiberi continuing to lead the way.
08:00 [Music]
08:05 [Music]