Michal Golas took a risk in the Stage 12, 157km Giro d`Italia Stage 12, deciding to attack solo for Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team after being in a break with Lars Bak (Lotto-Belisol), Sandy Casar (FDJ-BigMat), Ivan Santaromita (BMC), Jan Bakelants (RadioShack-Nissan), Luca Mazzanti (Farnese Vini), and Andrey Amador (Movistar) since 105km remained. Golas attacked with 32.9km to go, and the gap at 5'29". Golas dealt with some technical descending at high speeds to try and stay away, and worked hard to maintain his gap. He was rewarded for his effort with the Maglia Azzurra jersey. Unfortunately, the hard effort and the climbing fatigued Golas. He was caught with 13.3km to go and the gap to the peloton at 4'51". Lars Bak went on to solo for victory after attacking in the late kilometers, with Casar taking 2nd and Amador 3rd. Golas finished 9th.

“I’m happy about my jersey” Golas said. "It was a great emotion to wear it on the podium. I am the first Polish rider to wear it. It's a great honour, I'm proud of my nation. This morning during the technical meeting we decided to go into the breakaway. The two riders that had to try were me and Vermote. I was lucky to take the right breakaway after more or less 40 kilometers of fighting. We were a good group but in the finalm there were no big collaboration. I saw that they were looking at each other so I decided to play my cards. Unfortunately, on the last climb I couldn’t resist their pursuit, I was really tired. You know, in the breakaways it is always a question of legs and luck. In any case I’m super happy. Thanks to the points I took today on the climbs I’m now the leader of the mountain classification. It’s a good rewarded for me and the team. We are always trying and we miss only a stage victory. I will try again, for sure.”

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Dries Devenyns entered into an early 11 rider breakaway, which eventually turned into 10 as one was dropped. However, that break was caught with less than 82km to go. While the peloton split briefly on a climb, the peloton sat up and allowed many riders to catch back on easily with 50km left in the race. From then on, it was essentially about setting up for a bunch sprint. Despite some late attempts to thwart such a finish, the entire Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team worked at the front to ensure Tom Boonen had the chance for a stage victory.

Peter Sagan, however, had different ideas and, after taking the sprint victory, now has won all four stages of the AMGEN Tour of California thus far. Heinrich Haussler (Garmin-Barracuda) was 2nd, Michael Matthews (Rabobank) was 3rd, and Tom Boonen 4th.

Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team will now focus on the 29km time trial in Bakersfield tomorrow, as Peter Velits is currently 12th (+40") in the GC. Levi Leipheimer is 36th, but with the same time difference to the current GC leader Sagan.

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“Today I was really strong,” Chicchi said. “I really would to win in my home region. I don’t live far from the finish line. I want to do something good. But, in the last corner, 300 meters from the finish Modolo crashed as he entered the corner too quickly. The first part of the group broke into pieces. Ferrari was in front, and I was stuck behind the crash. When I realized Ferrari was leaving alone I tried to do my sprint, but it was a little bit too late even though I did a great sprint. The problem was, when Modolo crashed it created a fracture between Ferrari and me. That’s why he was so far in front today.”

Still, Chicchi wanted to thank his teammates for putting him in position.

“I want to thank the team for the big effort today,” Chicchi said. “Especially Bandiera — in the final I lost contact in the last climb, 200 meters from the top of it, but Bandiera led me in the final in the downhill and we were able to catch up with the group again. It was a really long stage, but the team was around me. I did my best, the condition is there, and I am growing up day by day. There are two more possibilities for the sprinters. I will try to grab one victory in one of the next days.”

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"It was a hard stage today," Tom Boonen, who finished third, said. "It was very good test. I tried to be there at the front in the last kilometers, but it was hard with the headwind. So I worked very hard to try and be in position for the last corner."

In the final, sharp, right hand turn just meters before the finish, Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale), Heinrich Haussler (Garmin-Barracuda) and Boonen were all in the position to go for the win. Unfortunately, Sagan and Haussler chose the correct position, and their strength carried them to the line. Sagan won his third straight stage, and Haussler took second. Boonen was third.

"I waited for the last moment and took the outside corner 10 meters before the corner came, but they came from the inside a little bit faster so I lost a few spots," Boonen said. "I was in 7th or 8th position, but I almost got them. I am satisfied with my sprint, but prefer to finish for the victory. Sagan is in a winning mood right now and he also found a finish that suits him here. It's really something he likes and he's good at, but I think everyone is beatable and we will try again tomorrow to try and win the stage."

After an early four rider break got away from the peloton, Frantisek Rabon sat on the front of the chasing peloton for an extended period of time. He was not alone however, as the team put five to seven riders at the front to drag back the riders up the road. After a multiple peloton split in a crosswind before the final category 3 climb, the team had six riders in the select group, including a strong and confident Tom Boonen, Levi Leipheimer, Gerald Ciolek, Dries Devenyns, Peter Velits, and Stijn Vandenbergh. Within the final kilometers, the team set up Boonen for victory, with Levi Leipheimer drilling it at the front to pull back riders attempting to prevent a bunch sprint. The sprint was there for Boonen as a result of the team's effort, and he showed no fear.

"I would also like to thank the team for the big effort they did today," Boonen said. "They everybody stayed in the crosswind and tried to help and give me an edge and put me in the right position. I really appreciate it."

Boonen to Focus on the Olympics

Tom Boonen announced today that he will not participate in the Tour de France, in hopes of optimizing his preparation for the upcoming Summer Olympics in London.

"It's not so much that I don't want to do it," Boonen said of the Tour de France. "I still want to do the Tour in the future. The Tour has given me a lot in the past, but this year, I'm really focused on the Olympics. I missed the last two Olympic chances, so I am really looking forward to try this new experience and try and get the best from it. Instead of the Tour, I will participate in the Tour of Pologne to try to do well and tune up the condition for the Olympics."

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