Italy, May 2007. In the nation that is cycling’s powerhouse, the sport’s throne lies empty. To decide the successor, there is only one true test of strength which counts: the 2000-mile Giro d’Italia.

With no clear master, this year’s Giro witnessed a genuine two-wheeled revolution: in an epic roller coaster of early success followed by long moments of doubt and suspense, Classics specialist Danilo Di Luca overcame a host of stage racing stars to take his first ever major Tour.

Victory in the opening team time trial sets up initial leader Di Luca as the unwilling target for a non-stop avalanche of attacks on his precarious grip on power.

Amongst Di Luca’s most doughty rivals is the multi-headed hydra of the Spanish Saunier Duval team. Bristling with climbers ranging from grizzled veteran Gilberto Simoni and Iban Mayo to the new - but equally dangerous - kid on the block Ricardo Ricco, Di Luca soon finds himself with his back against the wall.

But the 31-year-old is not known as “Il Killer” for nothing. An early victory on the mist-enshrouded Montevirgine climb is followed by a stalwart defense of his title in the Alps and Dolomites. However, Di Luca slowly finds himself losing control. Nor can he breathe easier as the race’s final destination looms. Instead a new threat - in the shape of brash young pretender Frank Schleck - takes shape, and the last challenge for Di Luca is a rainlashed time trial precisely the terrain where he is at his most vulnerable.

A painstaking record of Di Luca’s tortuous rise to power, this 2007 Giro D’Italia DVD is a gripping visual tribute to one man’s courage and determination in the sporting event closest to his heart.

Commentary by Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen. Approx. 300 min