The Giro really started tonight

For the record, seven stages of the present Giro d'Italia, the second biggest race in the world (second most important, according to which doctrine you read from), have passed and only two stage victories have been registered by Pro Tour teams - High Road's Mark Cavendish on Stage Five and Liquigas' Daniele Bennati the previous stage.

So, the battle or rather debate in that area (Pro Tour of the UCI vs Grand Tour organisers) is being won by the ASO and RCS significantly as they can now tell the UCI and the rest of their backers, including expensive race consultants from countries where bike racing hardly exists, "See, I told you."

The UCI's debate was strengthened only tonight. When inside 10 kilometres to go in the 180km Stage Seven from Vasto to Pescocostanzo when, what I would call the attack that's gonna win the Giro happened.

In my mind I'd been saying,"Wake up Astana, wake up Astana". But Astana didn't wake up. It was only Alberto Contador who woke up, thanks to an attack by Saunier Duval's Ricardo Ricco, which was marked by defending champion Danilo di Luca (LPR) and effectively triggering what kept Contador awake. Up ahead, about three minutes ahead, was a group of five with eventual stage winner Gabriele Bosisio (LPR), Vasil Kiryienka (Tinkoff), Emanuele Sella (CSF-Navigare), Felix Cardenas (Barloworld) and a fading Fortunato Baliani (CSF-Navigare) a little down the road. Leonardo Piepoli, another possible maglia rosa contender from Saunier Duval, had attacked earlier, then waited for the favourites' group to help teammate Ricco, which I thought would be an "insurance" move by the Spanish team with two GC men close to each other. It turned out so, but I had announced to friends I was watching the stage with - Cardenas, the guy on the green Bianchi. That's the stage winner. Didn't happen again.
Bosisio took the win, and Quickstep's Italian champion Giovanni Visconti retained the maglia rosa, by very little this time, but the stage has already been set.

My earlier predictions that the story would also include Serramenti Diquigiovanni's two-time Giro winner Gilberto Simoni is yet to materialise as he too failed to wake up.

So, just go back to the top of the post and look at those three pictures - (from left to right) Danilo di Luca, Ricardo Ricco, Alberto Contador. The Giro's winner is one of those three.
But with 14 days to go, you wouldn't yet bet your last dollar on it.