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On a day that looked destined for the sprint right from the start when only a weak break of three riders was let go the finale was sort of predictable but the slight incline in the final 2 kms made it rather hectic. The peloton got stretched out and only a select few made it all the way to the front in the final. Sky launched Edvald Boassson Hagen on a long sprint and he got a big gap that looked winning. But Gilbert had finally found a day when all the stars aligned and he was the only one who was able to close in on the ever so slightly fading Norwegian in the final meters. His well timed burst saw him overtake Boasson Hagen and win the stage with about a bikelength in the end.
It looked like a duel between two strong candidates for the Worlds in Tuscany in a few weeks and we have seldom seen as happy and relieved stage-winner. Gilbert has been struggling uncharacteristically to put wins on the board this year but it looks as he might make a repeat of last year's Worlds peak and now it just remains to be seen how well suited the Firenze course is to him. Is it even slightly to his liking he should be a major factor to be reckoned with to the relief of Belgian fans who have had little to cheer about this season.
Top 10 stage 12
| 1. | BELGILBERT, Philippe | 51 | BMC RACING TEAM | 4h 03' 44'' | |
| 2. | NORBOASSON HAGEN, Edvald | 192 | SKY PROCYCLING | 4h 03' 44'' | + 0'' |
| 3. | ARGRICHEZE, Maximiliano Ariel | 137 | LAMPRE-MERIDA | 4h 03' 44'' | + 0'' |
| 4. | ITAPAOLINI, Luca | 128 | KATUSHA TEAM | 4h 03' 44'' | + 0'' |
| 5. | BELMEERSMAN, Gianni | 164 | OMEGA PHARMA-QUICK STEP CYCLING TEAM | 4h 03' 44'' | + 0'' |
| 6. | ITALASCA, Francesco | 66 | CAJA RURAL - SEGUROS RGA | 4h 03' 44'' | + 0'' |
| 7. | FRACHAINEL, Steve | 14 | AG2R LA MONDIALE | 4h 03' 44'' | + 0'' |
| 8. | RSAJANSE VAN RENSBURG, Reinardt | 25 | TEAM ARGOS-SHIMANO | 4h 03' 44'' | + 0'' |
| 9. | FRAROUX, Anthony | 107 | FDJ.FR | 4h 03' 44'' | + 0'' |
| 10. | AUSDEMPSTER, Zakkari | 155 | TEAM NETAPP-ENDURA | 4h 03' 44'' | + 0'' |
General Classification
| 1. | ITANIBALI, Vincenzo | 31 | ASTANA PRO TEAM | 45h 26' 06'' | |
| 2. | IRLROCHE, Nicolas | 205 | TEAM SAXO-TINKOFF | 45h 26' 37'' | + 31'' |
| 3. | ESPVALVERDE, Alejandro | 1 | MOVISTAR TEAM | 45h 26' 52'' | + 46'' |
| 4. | USAHORNER, Christopher | 184 | RADIOSHACK LEOPARD | 45h 26' 52'' | + 46'' |
| 5. | ESPRODRIGUEZ, Joaquin | 121 | KATUSHA TEAM | 45h 28' 39'' | + 2' 33'' |
| 6. | ITAPOZZOVIVO, Domenico | 11 | AG2R LA MONDIALE | 45h 28' 50'' | + 2' 44'' |
| 7. | ITABASSO, Ivan | 71 | CANNONDALE PRO CYCLING | 45h 28' 58'' | + 2' 52'' |
| 8. | FRAPINOT, Thibaut | 101 | FDJ.FR | 45h 29' 41'' | + 3' 35'' |
| 9. | POLMAJKA, Rafal | 202 | TEAM SAXO-TINKOFF | 45h 29' 52'' | + 3' 46'' |
| 10. | ESPMORENO, Daniel | 127 | KATUSHA TEAM | 45h 30' 02'' | + 3' 56'' |