The 2012 Giro d'Italia takes a break until Tuesday following Matteo Rabottini's victory on Stage 15 on Sunday. Rabottini defeated Joaquim Rodriguez in the final kilometers after briefly losing the lead. But Rodriguez did not end the day empty-handed: He regain the maglia rosa (pink jersey) by finishing 39 seconds ahead of then-leader Ryder Hesjedal of Garmin-Barracuda. Rodriguez now has a 30-second lead over Hesjedal.
The race is far from over with one more week to go and several high mountain stages to go through. We are likely to see the maglia rosa change hands over the next seven days.
Here is how Podium Cafe describes the finish to Stage 15:
On the final climb, with his lead dropping steadily, Rabottini saw the glory finally slip away as the pack came alive with 2km to go. Michele Scarponi started the action, but couldn't finish it when Joaquim Rodriguez, looking increasingly like a potential Giro winner, launched a counterattack that reeled in the tiring leaders and dropped his rivals. But Rabottini didn't give up when the elite Spaniard came up on him, and while it's possible Rodriguez allowed the win to get away (in exchange for the overall lead and possibly for the sake of his own safety), the fact remains that Rabottini dug deep to latch on to Rodriguez in a burst of truly inspired riding.
Top 10 for Stage 15 (full stage results):
| Pos. | Name | Country | Team | Time | d |
| 1 | Matteo Rabottini | ITA | FAR | 5:15:30 | 0:00 |
| 2 | Joaquim Rodriguez | ESP | KAT | 5:15:30 | 0:00 |
| 3 | Alberto Losada Alguacil | ESP | KAT | 5:15:53 | 0:23 |
| 4 | Sergio Luis Henao Montoya | COL | SKY | 5:15:55 | 0:25 |
| 5 | Michele Scarponi | ITA | LAM | 5:15:55 | 0:25 |
| 6 | Ivan Basso | ITA | LIQ | 5:15:55 | 0:25 |
| 7 | Stefano Pirazzi | ITA | COG | 5:15:59 | 0:29 |
| 8 | Roman Kreuziger | CZE | AST | 5:15:59 | 0:29 |
| 9 | John Gadret | FRA | ALM | 5:15:59 | 0:29 |
| 10 | Amets Txurruka | ESP | EUS | 5:15:59 | 0:29 |
Top 10 for general classification (full GC results):
| Pos. | Name | Country | Team | Time | d |
| 1 | Joaquim Rodriguez | ESP | KAT | 65:11:07 | 0:00 |
| 2 | Ryder Hesjedal | CAN | GRM | 65:11:37 | 0:30 |
| 3 | Ivan Basso | ITA | LIQ | 65:12:29 | 1:22 |
| 4 | Paolo Tiralongo | ITA | AST | 65:12:33 | 1:26 |
| 5 | Roman Kreuziger | CZE | AST | 65:12:34 | 1:27 |
| 6 | Michele Scarponi | ITA | LAM | 65:12:43 | 1:36 |
| 7 | Benat Intxausti Elorriaga | ESP | MOV | 65:12:49 | 1:42 |
| 8 | Sergio Luis Henao Montoya | COL | SKY | 65:13:02 | 1:55 |
| 9 | Dario Cataldo | ITA | OPQ | 65:13:19 | 2:12 |
| 10 | Sandy Casar | FRA | FDJ | 65:13:20 | 2:13 |
For more on the 2012 Giro d'Italia, stick with SB Nation Denver and visit cycling blog Podium Cafe.