How Segaert plotted stunning late Giro stage win attack: 'This was my chance'

Alec Segaert (Bahrain Victorious) has established a reputation as one of the best late-attack specialists in the peloton. That reputation was emphatically enhanced on stage 12 of the Giro d’Italia, as the former three-time under-23 European time trial champion pounced on a golden opportunity to claim his first Grand Tour stage win in Novi Ligure.

“Oh, it’s super amazing. It’s my Giro d’Italia. I often came to Italy to race in the youth categories as well. I wore the maglia rosa in the Giro Next Gen, and then to do it here on the biggest stage, wow. This Giro was already amazing for the team with the maglia rosa for Afonso, it’s amazing,” said Segaert. 

Segaert launched his move with 3.3km remaining, diving past the Visma-Lease a Bike riders on a sweeping corner. Carrying his momentum through the bend, he quickly opened a gap. With Visma’s priority centred on protecting Jonas Vingegaard, alarm bells rang among those still contesting the stage win. 

The vigour of the attack, combined with similar late moves earlier this season, made it clear the Belgian had been plotting this moment.

“I would say yesterday evening. I had it always in mind, I saw this as a good moment on the parcours,” said Segaert when asked when he had planned his attack. 

With big-name sprinters including Paul Magnier and Jonathan Milan dropped on the final climb, several teams had continued to push a high pace in the peloton. That played perfectly into Segaert’s hands, leaving rival squads depleted in the finale.

“I was really happy with how the race was going with the hard pace on the climb, and then teammates with sprinters left had to ride hard on the front,” said Segaert. “This was my chance to go in the final when they were all on the limit.”

It was a tactic Segaert has used before. In Gent-Wevelgem he jumped across to the leading duo of Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel, only to be denied by Filippo Ganna. At Nokere Koerse in March, he was caught metres from the line after a similar late surge, but bounced back the very next day to win GP Denain with a solo effort.

He used the disappointment of finishing 16th in the stage 10 time trial in similar fashion to fuel his motivation in Novi Ligure.

“Yeah of course, winning is the best thing there is. After a bit of disappointment in the TT, I think this is the right way to come back stronger,” said Segaert. 

The victory carried extra emotion for the Segaert family, as Alec’s older brother Loïc is a sports director with Bahrain Victorious at this Giro.

“I’m shaking, that’s how special it is. We knew it would be a potential chance for him, but it’s always such a thin line to just make it, not make it, Loïc told TNT Sports. 

“You have one moment to go, this three kilometres corner, let’s say, the bunch a bit stretched, and he took it, absolutely amazing.”