Sastre takes lead but Evans lies in wait

Spaniard Carlos Sastre seized the Tour de France yellow jersey with victory in the last mountain stage yesterday but looked incapable of preventing Cadel Evans from winning the race.

Australian Evans, who was seventh in the 210.5-km stage and now trails Sastre by one minute 34 seconds overall, is expected to gain at least two minutes on the CSC rider in Saturday's decisive time trial.

Sastre attacked in the last climb of the day to Alpe d'Huez and never looked back, taking victory ahead of compatriot Samuel Sanchez, with his CSC team-mate Andy Schleck, of Luxembourg, coming home third, both 2:03 behind.

Frank Schleck, who wore the yellow jersey at the start of the stage, could not drop Evans and now trails his team-mate by 1:24.

Austrian Bernhard Kohl is third 1:33 off the pace with Evans fourth, one second further behind.

Silence Lotto's Evans will now set his sights on Saturday's individual time trial. He beat Sastre by 1:16 in the first stage against the clock in Cholet, though that was over 29.5 km.

"I don't want to think about that," said CSC team manager Bjarne Riis.

"We will do everything we can and we will see."

France's Remy Di Gregorio, Slovakia's Peter Velits, German Stefan Schumacher and Spaniard Ruben Perez broke away after three kilometres yesterday and opened up a six-minute lead.

The peloton, led by the CSC team, increased the pace and Di Gregorio and Perez were quickly swallowed. Velits broke clear as the CSC riders stepped up another gear at the foot of Col de la Croix de Fer.

Damiano Cunego was once again left behind by the favourites' group but Russian Denis Menchov and Evans easily kept up the pace.

Sastre's first attack on one of the first of the 21 hairpins to Alpe d'Huez was shortlived but Evans was unable to follow the second.