Simoni. Simoni gained the lead after the third stage and held it to the seventh stage where he lost it to Cunego. Cunego held the lead until the lengthy stage twelve individual time trial when Yaroslav Popovych took the lead. Cunego regained the lead after the sixteenth stage and went on to win the race, while fellow Italian Alessandro Petacchi won nine out of the 21 stages. The 2005 Giro d'Italia saw the race lead change hands multiple times within the first week of racing. Ivan Basso gained the lead after the eleventh stage, which finished in Zoldo Alto. Two days later, Paolo Savoldelli gained the lead after the thirteenth stage that finish in Urtijëi. Savoldelli went on to win his second Giro d'Italia while fending off the attacks of Gilberto Simoni and José Rujano. Ivan Basso won the 2006 Giro d'Italia in a convincing fashion. Basso gained the lead after winning the race's eighth stage that featured a summit finish on the Passo Lanciano. He won two more stages after taking the lead of the race en route to his overall victory. The race leader's pink jersey changed hands five times in the first week of racing in the 2007 Giro d'Italia. Andrea Noè took the lead away from Marco Pinotti after the race's tenth stage. Noè lost the lead to Danilo Di Luca after he won the twelfth stage into Briançon. Di Luca was not seriously challenged after taking the race lead in stage 12, and comfortably won the Giro in Milan with a two-minute gap over Schleck in second. 2008–2019: International Firsts The 2008 Giro d'Italia was led for many days by Giovanni Visconti who had gained the lead after participating in a breakaway. Eventual winner Alberto Contador first took the lead of the race after the second mountain stage, to Marmolada, by finishing nearly fifteen minutes ahead of previous race leader Gabriele Bosisio – who had just gained the lead the stage before. In the race's final week, Contador faced stern challenges from Riccò and defending Giro champion Danilo Di Luca; however, their efforts bore no fruits as Contador went on to win the race. Russian Denis Menchov won the 2009 centennial edition of the Giro, after having taken the lead in a long time trial in stage 12, and defended it vigorously against attacks from his closest challenger, Danilo Di Luca, during the mountain stages