Evans

HAUTACAM, France (AP):

A bruised and sore Cadel Evans took the yellow jersey at the Tour de France after Leonardo Piepoli of Italy won a punishing climb through the Pyrenees to capture the 10th stage yesterday.

Evans, the 31-year-old Silence Lotto leader, and one of the favourites, swiped the race lead from Kim Kirchen and has a one-second lead over Frank Schleck.

The performance was even more striking because Evans took the lead a day after crashing badly in Sunday's stage, coating the Australian with cuts and bruises and causing him to momentarily fear that his Tour might be over.

"Yesterday, I was at what's for me been my Tour low. And today, up until this point in the Tour, it's been my Tour high," Evans said. "It's a bit an emotional rollercoaster to say the least."

Tears

Evans' eyes welled up with tears as he donned the yellow jersey on a podium at a post-race ceremony. It was the first time he has ever held the Tour lead, having finished second behind Alberto Contador of Spain last year.

"I still can't believe it. I couldn't believe it now and I couldn't believe it then on the podium," he said.

Evans will take the lead into the first two rest days today. The three-week race finishes in Paris on July 27, and he says he wants to try to stay in yellow until then.

Evans only rarely attacked the other pre-race favourites, who distanced themselves from the main pack in the 156-kilometre (96.9-mile) stage from Pau to Hautacam. The stage featured the passes of Tourmalet and Hautacam, climbs so hard they are beyond classification.