Pierre Rolland won France’s first stage of this year’s Tour on Alpe d’Huez as Andy Schleck moved into the overall lead to take a 53 second advantage into the individual time trial.

Rolland, loyal lieutenant to Thomas Voeckler throughout the race, accelerated away from Alberto Contador, who blew the stage apart with an early attack, and Samuel Sanchez on the fabled climb to earn his first Tour stage win.

Voeckler finished more than three minutes back to lose the yellow jersey but the general classification remains delicately poised after Cadel Evans and both Frank and Andy Schleck finished on the same time in fifth, eighth and ninth respectively.

Despite sitting third in the general classification, 53 and 57 seconds behind Andy and Frank, Evans, second overall in 2007 and 2008, remains in contention for the title by virtue of being the stronger time trialist going into Saturday’s 42km test.

Mark Cavendish led home the gruppetto 18 seconds outside the time limit but the large group was spared by the race organisers, with each rider instead docked 20 points. With rival Jose Joaquin Rojas also in the autobus, Cavendish continues to lead the green jersey standings by 15 points.

Andy Schleck ripped up the rule book on stage 18, leaving his rivals for dead on the Col d’Izoard, 60km from the finish, before climbing to victory on the Galibier, the highest-ever summit finish in Tour history.

Contador declared his title defence over after the stage, lying four minutes, 44 seconds behind Voeckler in the overall standings.

But the Spaniard, who has not been defeated in a Grand Tour he has entered since finishing 31st in 2005, refused to go down without a fight, attacking on the Télégraphe, the first of three stage 19 climbs.

The category one ascent was only intended as an aperitif before the second climb of the Galibier in 24 hours, this time from the steeper northern side, ahead of the finale on the 21 hairpins to Alpe d’Huez.

But Contador blew the peloton to shreds with his early attack, with Voeckler, Andy and Frank Schleck, Evans and Carlos Barredo bridging the gap.

Voeckler, who had worn the yellow jersey since finishing second on stage nine, soon slipped off the back, while Evans suffered a mechanical and was left for dead until a new bike arrived.

The 32-year-old Voeckler formed an alliance with former team-mate Jerome Pineau and the duo were just 34 seconds behind the lead group at the top of the Télégraphe while Evans, pacing at the front of the peloton, was a further minute back.

The Contador group remained in Voeckler’s sights on the early slopes of the Galibier, a 16.7km climb averaging 6.8 per cent, but the Frenchman, who has captured the hearts of his nation, soon began to labour as the gradient reared up and eventually fell back to the chasing group and the safety of three team-mates, including Rolland.

Evans on the other hand, left the peloton behind on the infamous ascent, climbing in a seven-strong group that also included Frank Schleck, and Garmin-Cervelo duo Ryder Hesjedal and Tom Danielson, who bridged across to the lead group, which now included Olympic champion Sanchez after a hair-raising descent from Galibier, on the long drop to Bourg d’Oisans.

The leaders called a brief truce to take on water ahead of the Alpe d’Huez showdown but that prompted Rolland to attack, with Hesjedal quickly going after the 24-year-old.

Voeckler’s daredevil descending was rewarded with the sight of the lead group just kilometres from the foot of the final climb and it was as we were as the scattered groups returned to one heading onto the 13.8km ascent, averaging 7.9 per cent.

Evans attacked at the foot of the climb, with Schleck and Contador quickly countering, before Spaniard Contador launched a trademark acceleration on a hairpin to quickly distance his rivals before passing Hesjedal and Rolland in an instant, opening a 30 second gap on Schleck and Evans under the 10km banner.

But while Hesjedal fell back, Rolland was joined by Sanchez and the duo worked in unison to catch Contador with 2.5km to go, with Rolland immediately attacking to ride away and in turn take the white jersey for best young rider, sealing a dream tour for Europcar.

Stage 19

1. Pierre Rolland (FRA/Europcar) 3h 13m 25s
2. Samuel Sanchez (SPA/Euskaltel-Euskadi) +14″
3. Alberto Contador (SPA/SaxoBank) +23″
4. Peter Velits (SLO/HTC-Highroad) +57″
5. Cadel Evans (AUS/BMC Racing) same time
6. Thomas De Gendt (BEL/Vacansoleil-DCM)
7. Damiano Cunego (ITA/Lampre-ISD)
8. Frank Schleck (LUX/Leopard-Trek)
9. Andy Schleck (LUX/Leopard-Trek)
10. Ryder Hesjedal (CAN/Garmin-Cervelo) +1:15″

General classification

1. Andy Schleck (LUX/Leopard-Trek) 82hrs 48mins 43secs”
2. Frank Schleck (LUX/Leopard-Trek) +53″
3. Cadel Evans (AUS/BMC Racing) +57″
4. Thomas Voeckler (FRA/Europcar) +2:10″
5. Damiano Cunego (ITA/Lampre-ISD) +3:31″
6. Alberto Contador (SPA/SaxoBank) +3:55″
7. Samuel Sanchez (SPA/Euskaltel-Euskadi) +4:22″
8. Ivan Basso (ITA/Liquigas-Cannondale) +4:40″
9. Tom Danielson (USA/Garmin-Cervelo) +7:11″
10. Pierre Rolland (FRA/Europcar) +8:57″