Tour de France:Andy Schleck and Alberto Contador emerged as the frontrunners for the Tour de France title after a gruelling 204.5km ninth stage in which world champion Cadel Evans dropped out of contention.
While France's Sandy Casar claimed stage victory in St Jean de Maurienne, Schleck snatched the yellow jersey from Evans, who finished more than eight minutes off the pace after collapsing in the last big climb of the Alps, the Col de la Madeleine.
Ireland’s Nicholas Roche finished 25th, four minutes and 55 seconds behind Casar, in a group containing Bradley Wiggins and Carlos Sastre. The AG2R rider is now 17th overall, 7:44 behind Schleck.
Riding side by side with Contador during the last 30 kilometres, Schleck opened up a 41 second lead over the defending champion as the Tour neared the halfway point.
The Spanish maestro and his Luxembourg rival, who were first and second last year, left third-placed Samuel Sanchez trailing by 2:45.
The first unrated mountain pass in this Tour, the 25-km long Col de La Madeleine, proved decisive.
Two days after being involved in a crash in which he suffered hip and thigh injuries, Australia's Evans became the latest big name to slip out of contention after cracking with eight kilometres to go to the summit.
He broke down in tears after struggling over the line in 42nd place, a result which dropped left him nosediving from first to 18th in the overall standings.
On Sunday, seven-times champion Lance Armstrong's victory hopes were dashed when he crashed during the eighth stage.
With seven kilometres to go, Olympic champion Sanchez was the only rider able to follow last year's top two finishers.
All the other Tour contenders - Denis Menchov, his Dutch team mate Robert Gesink and American Levi Leipheimer, followed by a group including Armstrong and Giro d'Italia winner Ivan Basso and further down Czech Roman Kreuziger and Wiggins - failed to keep pace.
Schleck tried to attack Contador three times unsuccessfully near the summit before the two started chatting with each other, deciding to join forces to eliminate their rivals and postpone their own personal battle for the top spot.
Casar beat Spain's Luis Leon Sanchez and Italy's Damiano Cunego for the stage honours. The three were what remained of a 12-man breakaway launched from the gun.
The Tour will leave the Alps after a 179-kms 10th stage between Chambery and Gap on Wednesday.