Lars Bak has won Stage 12 of the 2012 Giro d'Italia after a battle with six riders from the final descent to the run to the finish line. He wound up defeating the pack of racers behind him by 11 seconds to pick up the 20-second bonus. Casar appeared to have the maglia rosa in hand when the final climb started, but Bak pulled off a great move late in the race, as Podium Cafe writes:
Finally, after a series of back-to-back attacks, Bak launched up the middle of the group and nobody responded immediately. Short-lived chases were put on by Txurruka and Ammador [sic], but none were able to put a dent in the large gap Bak had carved out for himself. He was able to sit up a long way from the line and savor his victory. The timing of his attack was truly impeccable, coming immediately after almost every member of the break had attempted their own solo bids at freedom.
Casar, as a result, did not gain enough ground to take the maglia rosa away from Joaquim Rodriguez (51:19:08). Nor was he able to overtake Garmin-Barracuda's Ryder Hesjedal (+0:17) for second place. Casar, though, is now in third place with a 26-second gap ahead of him.
Here is how the top 10 finished on Thursday (full stage standings):
| Pos. | Name | Country | Team | Time | d | Time bonus |
| 1 | Lars Ytting Bak | DEN | LTB | 3:58:55 | 0:00 | 20" |
| 2 | Sandy Casar | FRA | FDJ | 3:59:06 | 0:11 | 12" |
| 3 | Andrey Amador Bikkazakova | CRC | MOV | 3:59:06 | 0:11 | 8" |
| 4 | Jan Bakelants | BEL | RNT | 3:59:06 | 0:11 | |
| 5 | Ivan Satnaromita | ITA | BMC | 3:59:06 | 0:11 | 4" |
| 6 | Jackson Rodriguez | VEN | AND | 3:59:06 | 0:11 | |
| 7 | Amets Txurruka | ESP | EUS | 3:59:06 | 0:11 | 2" |
| 8 | Martijn Keizer | NED | VCD | 3:59:38 | 0:43 | 6" |
| 9 | Michal Golas | POL | OPQ | 3:59:43 | 0:48 | |
| 10 | Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni | ESP | SKY | 4:02:29 | 3:34 |
For more on the 2012 Giro d'Italia, stick with SB Nation Denver and visit cycling blog Podium Cafe.