Frank Schleck of Luxembourg took the Tour de France leader’s yellow jersey from Cadel Evans with a last-gasp attack in a crash-marred first Alpine stage on Sunday.
The elder Schleck brother dropped the Australian in the final metres of the uphill finish of the 15th stage in the Italian ski resort of Prato Nevoso. He now leads Austrian Bernhard Kohl by seven seconds and Evans by eight.
The 183km stage from Embrun was won by Australian Simon Gerrans, who gave the Credit Agricole team their second victory of the 2008 race by outwitting Spain’s Egoi Martinez and American Danny Pate after a 171km breakaway.
Spaniard Oscar Pereiro, the only past winner at the start of the race, broke his shoulder when he hit a crash barrier on the descent of the Col d’Agnel.
Tour doctor Gerard Porte said the 2006 champion had suffered only a shoulder fracture, despite an early diagnosis of a broken thigh bone.
Pereiro’s teammates and other riders stopped to check on him as the medical car was summoned.
Four men broke away after 12km and Pate, Gerrans and Spaniards Jose Luis Arrieta and Martinez opened up a 17-minute lead.
The peloton was then spurred on by the Lampre team, eager to pull Italian Damiano Cunego back into contention for a stage win in his country.
Decisive attack
Italian fans had hoped that Riccardo Ricco would shine in the Alps but the climbing ace tested positive for the banned blood-booster EPO earlier in the race and was sacked by his Saunier Duval team, who pulled out of the event.
Cunego was caught in a big pile-up in Cuneo, 47km from the finish, along with David Millar and Christian Vande Velde.
Spaniard Carlos Sastre, Schleck’s CSC teammate, attacked 6,5km from the top of the category-one ascent to Prato Nevoso, hoping to make Evans suffer, but the Australian followed.
The decisive attack could have come from Denis Menchov, who jumped away from the group with 3km to go, but the Russian’s try was short lived as he slipped on the wet road.
The Rabobank rider was quickly back on his bike and on the offensive again as Evans found it harder and harder to keep up the pace.
Sastre dealt Evans the death blow with less than 2km remaining.
Menchov and Gerolsteiner’s Kohl followed the Spaniard but it was too much for Evans, who watched Schleck speed away on the very last part of the climb. — Reuters