The sprinters have fought their way through rain and cold, over high mountains and down treacherous descents and have even survived a 54,8km time trial since their last battle in Margherita di Savoia last Thursday with the sole purpose of being able to launch their explosive power on the rods in Treviso this afternoon. After a couple of days in the high mountains the Giro peloton heads south to start their long travel through the Po valley to reach the Alps and further mountain battles in the weekend. Starting at 14.15 you can follow the action from a day that the sprinters have been looking forward to for a week.

We are more than halfway through the race and the pure sprinters have only had two real opportunities until now. Hence, there is little doubt that the fast men will give a sigh of relief when they analyze the profile of the 12th stage. The riders start in the mountains and have to tackle three smaller climbs during the first 93km (the uncategorized climb to Pieve D'Alpago (5,7km, 5,3%), the category 4 Muro di Ca' Del Poggio (1,2km, 12,2%, max 16%) and the category 4 Montello (3,4km, 6,3%, max. 14%)) before they hit the plains south of the Dolomites. The final 41km of this very short stage are almost completely flat and the stage finishes with a 7,5km finishing circuit in Treviso. The limited number of sprint opportunities makes it completely certain that we will see a bunch kick at the end.

The final part of the stage is, however, a complicated affair. The final 7,5km finishing circuit has two very technical section with a number of successive and tight corners. The first of those is located with only 6,8km to go while the last one is much closer to the finish with only 1700m left to race. Furthermore, another rainy day is forecasted and there is a very high risk that we will see another crash festival when the riders battle for position in the narrow bends. Having survived numerous climbs just to reach this stage and with limited opportunities left in the race, most of the fast men are willing to risk a little bit more to start their sprint in an optimal position and that could prove costly not only for themselves but also for their fellow sprinters. Luckily, the final 1,1km is completely straight and on a wide road and there should be some time to move up despite a bad position in the corners with 1,7km to go. Hopefully, the sprinters will keep that in mind so that we can avoid a compromised sprint like the ones in Naples and Matera.

It does not require a genuine mind to point out today's biggest favourite. Mark Cavendish has proved his superiority whenever he has had the opportunity in this year's race and both he and his Omega Pharma-Quick Step team will be very keen to stamp their authority on the race once again. Yesterday, all riders saved except for Serge Pauwels who was in the break, saved themselves on the final climb and safely rolled in as part of the grupetto. They will do their utmost to make sure that the early break is not too big and then they will steady reel it back in time to set up a final sprint.

Much has been said about the Cavendish' lead-out train and after a bad start to the season there are clear signs of improvements. Gert Steegmans has really upped his game and has been able to put his captain into perfect position in both Naples and Margherita di Savoia. On the first occasion a mechanical for the Belgian forced Cavendish to fight for himself but Steegmans had been able to place his sprinter safely ahead of the big tumble that took out most of the sprinters.

What should be more of a concern for Cavendish are the riders that precede Steegmans in the lead-out work. Michal Golas, Iljo Keisse and Matteo Trentin all know how to prepare a sprint but they simply appear to lack the top speed that make them able to compete with the well-drilled trains of Argos-Shimano, Orica-GreenEdge and Cannondale. There may be time to move up after the final technical section but it could prove costly for Cavendish to be badly positioned when they enter the tight corners. A crash in front of the Manxman could take him out of contention even before he gets to show off his incredible speed. If he gets a clear run to the line, it is, however, very unlikely that anyone will be able to beat him.

The man most likely to do so is Elia Viviani. The young Italian has been the nearest challenger to Cavendish on both previous occasions and he is eager to get his revenge. After some initial struggles in the early part of the year, the Cannondale train seems to be working perfectly and Tiziano Dall'Antonia and Fabio Sabatini have been able to deliver their sprinter in a perfect position to launch his sprint whenever it has been required. He was even one of the few to get around the big crash in Matera but ran out of power when he tried to chase down John Degenkolb ahead. Viviani's top speed is not the same as Cavendish' but if he gets to start his sprint from a good position he could be the man to surprise.

Nacer Bouhanni is maybe even fast than Viviani but is not as well-supported as the Italian in the final. In Naples he had to engage in a hard fight with Adam Blythe to get into position behind Cavendish and in Margherita di Savoia he came very fast from behind to finish a strong 4th. On paper the likes of Murilo Fischer, Laurent Pichon and Dominique Rollin should be able to put him into a good position but until now the French champion has had to do most of the work himself. If he gets a clear run to the line, he could, however, be the most dangerous man to Cavendish' supremacy.

Sprint wins are the main objective for Orica-GreenEdge but so far Matt Goos has not been really close. On both previous occasions he started his sprint from a good position to finish solidly in the top 5 but this year he simply seems to lack the top speed that has brought him wins earlier in his career. The team seems to know this and while the still put some emphasis on a stage like today's, they are more focused on the ones with a tricky climb in the final like Friday's 13th stage.

Nonetheless, we will certainly see Goss in the mix today and it will be a huge surprise not to see him end up in the top 5 again. The Orica-GreenEdge and Argos-Shimano trains are the best in this year's Giro and we will certainly see those two - and maybe also Cannondale - battle for control in the final part of the race. The loss of Leigh Howard will be felt but Brett Lancaster should still be able to make sure that Goss will start his sprint in the best position possible. Furthermore, today's final climb is only located 41km from the finish and it would be no surprise to see the Australian team hit the front at that point of the race to tire out Cavendish' legs prior to the final sprint.

The new kid on the block in today's finish will be Luka Mezgec. After the abandonment of John Degenkolb, he young Slovenian suddenly finds himself in the position of being his team's main sprinter in his debut grand tour with the support of one of the best lead-out trains in the world. His 3 4th places in the Tour de Romandie proves that he has the speed to mix it up with the best and being supported by the likes of Albert Timmer, Bert De Backer and Koen De Kort he should be able to start his sprint in a good position. In all likelihood he lacks the top speed to compete for the win but expect to see the Slovenian close to the front today.

Besides the usual suspects like Manuel Belletti, Davide Appollonio, Mattia Gavazzi, Adam Blythe, Roberto Ferrari, Kenny Dehaes and Giacomo Nizzolo, we could very well see Robert Hunter in the mix today. With Ryder Hesjedal falling out of GC contention, the Garmin team has to reassess the situation and find new objectives. Ramunas Navardauskas put them back on track yesterday and they will certainly be keen to continue that run of success. Until now Hunter has been taken out of contention before the sprint as he has had to fend for himself in the hard battle for positions but today we could very well see Nathan Haas and Navardauskas work hard to put him into position. In the 2010 Tour de France he stepped up after the abandonment of Tyler Farrar to do some good sprints and mix it up with the best and he could very well do the same in this year's Giro.

CyclingQuotes' stage winner picks: Mark Cavendish, Elia Viviani, Nacer Bouhanni

Outsiders: Matthew Goss, Roberto Ferrari, Robert Hunter