PRATO NEVOSO, Italy. - Frank Schleck of
Luxembourg took the Tour de France leader's yellow jersey from
Cadel Evans with a last-gap attack in a crash-marred first
Alpine stage on Sunday.
The elder Schleck brother dropped the
Australian in the final meters of the uphill finish of the
15th stage in the Italian ski resort of Prato Nevoso.
He leads Austrian Bernhard Kohl, the new
holder of the polka dot jersey, by seven seconds and Evans,
who had a one-second lead before the stage, by eight.
"I want to thank my whole team, we are the
best team of the field," said Schleck.
"At the end (of the stage) I just wanted to
sprint and take that second I needed for the yellow jersey."
Evans, who failed to resist to three CSC
riders in the final climb, said: "Three against one, what
could I do? It's not over yet, it's very close. It's a very
good race, put it that way."
Of the six leading riders who are within 49
seconds, Russian Denis Menchov, in fourth place, is the
biggest threat to Evans and Schleck.
The 183-kilometer stage from Embrun was won
by Australian Simon Gerrans, who gave the Credit Agricole team
its second victory of the 2008 race by outwitting Spain's Egoi
Martinez and American Danny Pate after a 171-km 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 12 km 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.
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, which pulled out of the
event.
Cunego was caught in a big pile-up in Cuneo,
47 km from the finish, along with David Millar and Christian
Vande Velde.
Spaniard Carlos Sastre, Schleck's CSC
teammate, attacked 6.5 km 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 Menchov, who
jumped away from the group with 3 km to go but the Russian's
try was short-lived as he slipped on the wet road.
