Former Giro winner Ivan Basso took over the leader's pink jersey after Michele Scarponi won an epic 19th stage of the Tour of Italy yesterday.
Basso finished second on the day's stage over 195km from Brescia to Aprica but came home more than three minutes ahead of David Arroyo to move to the top of the overall standings.
Other contenders such as Australian road race world champion Cadel Evans, Kazakh Alexander Vinokourov and former Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre also lost more than three minutes.
Basso now leads Arroyo by 51 seconds with the Italian's compatriot and Liquigas team-mate Vincenzo Nibali, who finished third on the stage, third at a distance of 2min 30sec.
Evans (4:00) is fifth overall with Sastre (5:32) sixth and Vinokourov (6:02) eighth.
It was a classic stage that provided thrills throughout and lots of drama as the gap on the road, and in the overall standings, between Basso and Arroyo ebbed and flowed.
The crucial moment came on the penultimate climb, the legendary and gruelling Passo del Mortirolo.
Arroyo was quickly dropped by the contenders as Liquigas turned on the gas.
With a mountain stage to come today and tomorrow's short time-trial, only a disaster looks capable of denying Basso a second Giro crown.