RIOMAGGIORE, Italy (Reuters) - Russia's Denis Menchov blew away the field in Thursday's individual time-trial to take the 12th stage of the Giro d'Italia and wrestle the leader's pink jersey from Italian Danilo Di Luca.
Rabobank rider Menchov, twice Tour of Spain winner, completed a gruelling 60.6-km up-and-down course in the Cinque Terre region on Italy's north-east coast in one hour 34 minutes and 29 seconds.
LPR's Di Luca, who had worn the pink jersey for seven stages, came in 1:54 behind in sixth place.
The 2007 winner, who is not a time trial specialist, was not disappointed as he limited the damage in the overall standings to 34 seconds after what was widely considered a crucial stage.
"Menchov was very strong. I defended myself well. I'm very happy," Di Luca told Rai television.
"It (the stage) was really hard. It never ended. I started well. On the second climb I struggled a bit but I'm satisfied.
"I said before that the race starts again from today. The important thing is that I'm there, not too many seconds behind. There are stages well suited to me. So let's wait and see."
Astana's Levi Leipheimer of the United States came in 20 seconds behind the Russian to move up to third overall, six seconds adrift of Di Luca.
Italy's Franco Pellizotti went up to fourth with a fifth-placed finish Thursday and continues to outshine his Liquigas team mate Ivan Basso, who was 11th.
Basso, one of the pre-race favourites, stays seventh overall but now trails Menchov by three minutes.
POOR SHOWING
Carlos Sastre, the 2008 Tour de France winner, is almost as far back although he had the consolation of climbing to fifth thanks to a poor showing by Australia's Michael Rogers, who dropped from third to sixth.
Seven-times Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong clocked the 13th fastest time, which lifted him from 16th to 12th overall.
The American, racing in his first Giro having recovered from a broken collarbone, is 6:34 behind Menchov.
The Russian's thoughts after his second victory of this year's race were with his Spanish team Pedro Horrillo Munoz, who fell down a ravine Saturday and was badly hurt.
"The pink jersey is a good prize to dedicate to Horrillo," he told reporters. "Leipheimer is going well, Di Luca is up there and I think both Basso and Sastre are still in the race."
Olympic time trial champion Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland, who was more than an hour and 40 minutes off the pace, pulled out before Thursday's stage.
Friday's 13th stage is a relatively light 176-km Tuscan course from Lido di Camaiore to Florence which could lead to another duel between Italian sprinter Alessandro Petacchi and his British rival Mark Cavendish.
The centenary edition of the race finishes in Rome on May 31.
(Writing by Paul Virgo in Rome;