Cunego cracks

Like Cunego, Stage 11 promised much, but unlike the pint-sized Italian, the mountain stage delivered.

Billed as the stage which would cull the overall standings and see who was truly going to compete for Giro glory this year, the 150-kilometre, four-peaked itinery did just that, answering all the questions we had posed prior to the mountains.

We now know that Basso is indeed the man to beat this year; that Savoldelli's dangerously nifty descents could play an important role in the destiny of the pink jersey; that Cunego is not showing the form which saw him win last year's event; that Gilberto Simoni is truly the Lampre number one, and that he never had any intention of making things easy for his rival team-mate.

The action started early in stage 11, exceedingly so. After just one kilometre, Discovery's Benoit Joachim broke clear in a gutsy solo escapade that would see him pedal for almost 100 kilometres ahead of the field.

The rider from Luxembourg rode over the summit of the second category Passo di Cereda just seconds ahead of Venezuelan pocket-titan Jos Rujano Gaillen.

Jumping from the peloton close to the summit, the Selle Italia rider clearly had mountain points on his head as he swept up chasing team-mate Leo Scarselli, and closed down Joachim almost to pinhole perfect precision.

The two men were caught on the short descent before the relatively tame category three climb at Forcella Aurine, won by Credit Agricole's Patrice Halgand, ahead of Rujano.

Now the true action was to begin. Halgand broke clear on the long 12-kilometre descent and started the gruelling Passo Duran climb with 38 seconds over the peloton.

Before Tuesday's stage, the Passo Duran had been touted by many as where the difference would be made.

In the Italian press, legendary Italian cyclist Francesco Moser claimed that the Lampre Cunego-Simoni "alliance" would try something on the Duran: "Simoni and Cunego will attack on the Duran. Then we will see what will happen with the small group on the last climb."

Moser was half right; the other half, however, was startingly wayward.

A kilometre into the climb and Gilberto Simoni, hungry like the wolf, laid down the gauntlet (to both the field and to the pretender Cunego), attacking from the back of the stream-lined leading peloton.

While the likes of Basso, Savoldelli and pink jersey Di Luca held his wheel, Cunego did not even flinch, rooted to the wheel of team-mate Andrea Tonti, unable to muster up the strength necessary to respond.

Halgand was swept up, and soon Simoni's group held a minute over Cunego and a group of chasers including Liquigas' Stephano Garzelli.

CSC's Basso took the initiative straight away, benefiting from Simoni's earlier statement of intent to stamp his own credentials over the race. On hearing through his earpiece that Cunego was suffering major difficulties, the Italian showed his untiring class by increasing the tempo.

His surge broke up the 12-man leading group, with only Simoni, Savoldelli, Rujano and, staggeringly, Di Luca managing to hold on.

With two kilometres to go until the summit, Basso's unrelenting pace had shook off all but Simoni, and it was a true show of character that saw Di Luca return not only to Savoldelli and Rujano, but also to the duo in front, having been seemingly dropped and distanced.Di Luca is enjoying an excellent season, but no-one expected his spring classic and early Giro form to be carried over into the Dolomites.

Atop the Duran, the leaders had carved out a large 3'22" gap over faltering Cunego, clealy suffering a jour sans.

Once over the summit of the penultimate climb, Savoldelli knew that the cards were in his hand. A descent specialist, the Italian tested the steel of Basso by breaking clear with some terrifying manoeuvers as the leaders hurtled towards the final climb of the day.

His confidence boosted by an unexpected midweek visit by team-mate Lance Armstrong, Savoldelli embarked on the Zoldo Alto ascent with over 30 seconds on his pursuers.

Unsurprisingly, the Danilo Di Luca show came off the rails once the gradient hit his legs, but only after Rujano - a climber by trade - had already dropped back.

That left three men in front, with Savoldelli leading Basso and then Simoni, with a 20-metre gap between each man.

With six kilometres to go the trio became one once again, but after Simoni double-bluffed a show of tiredness, Basso took the bull by the horns and attacked.

Savoldelli held onto his wheel, and the two men rode together - Basso invariably in front - right the way to the altitude finish in Zoldo.

Last year's Tour de France dauphin led out the sprint, but Savoldelli, winner in Italy three years ago, caught his wheel and passed his companion to take victory.

Basso was sure of pink as the clock started counting down...

Simoni, the man whose initial attack had exploded the field, crossed the line 22 seconds in arrears, while the indefatigable Di Luca came home at 1'01".

The Liquigas star will be wearing the white jersey as leader of the ProTour on Friday.

Rujano finished at 1'50" ahead of a whole cluster of individual riders, left-overs from the leading group brought about by Simoni's attack on the Duran.

An exhausted Cunego and Grazelli arrived just over six minutes off the pace, and with that deception the Lampre rider effectively waved goodbye to his chances of winning the race.

Languishing over seven minutes behind Basso in the overall standings, Cunego's Giro has fallen apart.

How ironic that it was his team-mate Simoni that delivered the hammer-blow.