The only way is up

After ten days of intense racing the pink jersey lies on the shoulders of Danilo Di Luca, with Ivan Basso at 9', Paolo Savoldelli at 35', Damiano Cunego at 1'15", Dario Cioni at 1'27", Garzelli at 1'35", Honchar at 1'39" and Simoni at 2'11".

One of this troupe of talent will, in all likelihood, enter Milan in just over a week's time with the 2005 Giro belonging to his name.

What is more, their fate, and the fate of the Giro, will be decided over the next few days. This is indeed the view of Basso who, driven by his desire to win the race in memory of his late mother, has always held the view that the prize will be won, or lost, on the roads of the snow-capped Dolomites.

"In the mountains," the CSC rider said on Tuesday's rest day, "alliances count for nothing, you find yourself pretty much alone. This Giro will come down to whoever tires the first."

2004 winner Cunego also feels that Thursday's stage 11, followed by the particularly demanding weekend schedule, "will show who has what it takes" to win.

The Lampre rider will be out to prove that he can keep up with race favourite Basso on the windy upward path towards Zoldo Alto, currently -10°c and in no sign of warming up.

On the way, the riders will have to negotiate the category two Passo Cerada (1,369m with a maximum gradient of 16%), and the hellish first category Passo Duran (14 km of ascent, sometimes at 14%, towards a 1,601m summit).

The final climb of the day - the Zoldo itself - must not be underestimated. An average 6.9% gradient, the 8.6 km of upward winding asphalt will culminate with an altitude finish at 1,514m.

To make matters worse, the weather forecast is not exactly as heavenly as the lofty heights of the finish-line, with rain a distinct possibility on top of the icy temperatures.

"If it rains, it will be terrible," Cunego claims. "If this is the case, there will be break-aways and considerable time gaps... Vigilance will be the order of the day."

We will soon know whether Basso is truly "the man to beat" that so many claim; whether Paolo Savoldelli, reinvigorated by Discovery team-mate Lance Armstrong's surprise visit on Tuesday, can rediscover the form that took him to overall victory three years ago; whether Cunego warrants the ostensible cult status wafting around his very presence, and whether he and team-mate Simoni have settled their glaring differences and rivalry.

For the time being at least, Simoni remains invested with the responsibilities (and perks) that come with being Lampre team-leader.

"The journalists might be surprised but it's pretty simple really," revealed Lampre team manager Claudio Corti on Wednesday. "Simoni is team-leader, and we pay him very well for it. So, at 33-years of age, it is only normal that he takes responsibility for the race which suits him best."

This is all fine and dandy, but it remains to be seen whether Corti will mutter the same message should Cunego prove stronger than his counterpart over the next week.

As for current race leader Danilo Di Luca, the Liquigas powerhouse - whose season is going from strength to strength - sees these testing mountain stages as a date with destiny, a chance to see his true status in the big picture.

Habitually a sprinter by trade, the Italian has proved an admirable presence in the hills this season, his most noteworthy wins coming after uphill finishes.

But he is also well aware that the kind of itinerary facing the 185 riders remaining in the race is an entirely different prospect than a few rises above the flat Belgian countryside...

"I'm looking forward to this first mountain stage so that I can see just where I am," said Di Luca, "and to see whether it is a realistic prospect to think about winning the Giro."

He will not be the only one. Each of the big men will be carrying out similar tests through the Dolomites, but the biggest test of them all will be the climbs themselves.