The 2011 Tour de France wrapped up its run through the Alps with a spirited finish that saw Frenchman Pierre Rolland capture the stage victory while Andy Schleck overtook Thomas Voeckler to capture the yellow jersey. Alberto Contador attempted to make an early attack to make a significant dent in the overall lead. He did finish third in the stage ahead of the Schlecker brothers, Cadel Evans and Thomas Voeckler, but it wasn't enough to climb back into the Tour.
In what was the shortest non-time trial or Champs Elysees stage of the Tour, Thomas Voeckler finally ran out of gas and surrendered the yellow jersey. Andy Schleck, Frank Schleck and Cadel Evans were bouncing back and forth in their small chase group behind the front runners, but they were able to make up sufficient ground over the final climb to narrow the gap.
Evans actually had some mechanical difficulties early on that dropped him 1:50 back at one point as he had to change bikes. However, he used the Galiber climb and subsequent descent to speed his way back towards the front of the pack. While Contador moved ahead of the Schleck brothers, Evans joined them in the final charge for the finish line. At the end, Evans finished just ahead of them but it was ruled a virtual tie.
Following the conclusion of the run through the Alps, Andy Schleck holds the yellow jersey with his brother Frank in second and Cadel Evans in third heading into Saturday's individual time trial.
| Stnd | Rider | Rider # | Team | Time | Gaps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |
 SCHLECK Andy |
11 | TEAM LEOPARD-TREK | 82h 48' 43" | |
| 2. |
SCHLECK Frank |
18 | TEAM LEOPARD-TREK | 82h 49' 36" | + 00' 53" |
| 3. |
 EVANS Cadel |
141 | BMC RACING TEAM | 82h 49' 40" | + 00' 57" |
| 4. |
 VOECKLER Thomas |
181 | TEAM EUROPCAR | 82h 50' 53" | + 02' 10" |
| 5. |
 CUNEGO Damiano |
161 | LAMPRE - ISD | 82h 52' 14" | + 03' 31" |
| 6. |
 CONTADOR Alberto |
1 | SAXO BANK SUNGARD | 82h 52' 38" | + 03' 55" |
| 7. |
SANCHEZ Samuel |
21 | EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI | 82h 53' 05" | + 04' 22" |
| 8. |
BASSO Ivan |
91 | LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE | 82h 53' 23" | + 04' 40" |
| 9. |
 DANIELSON Tom |
52 | TEAM GARMIN - CERVELO | 82h 55' 54" | + 07' 11" |
| 10. |
ROLLAND Pierre |
188 | TEAM EUROPCAR | 82h 57' 40" | + 08' 57" |
We'll be here for the entire race providing news updates and stage previews and recaps, particularly as they relate to Bay Area-based BMC Racing. For more in-depth discussion on the 2011 Tour De France, head over to Podium Cafe. For more general Tour coverage, head over to the SB Nation story stream.