Verbier: Alberto Contador of Spain won Sunday's first move into the Alps in the Tour de France and captured the yellow jersey, as Lance Armstrong climbed to second overall.
The 15th stage, as had been expected, shook up the top of the standings by ending Rinaldo Nocentini's eight-day run as race leader and giving unmistakable signs that Contador is the rider to be reckoned with.
The 26-year-old Spaniard broke away from other pre-race favorites with 5.6 kilometers (3.5 miles) left in the 207.5-kilometer (128.9-mile) ride from Pontarlier, France to the Swiss ski resort of Verbier _ and he kept extending his lead through to the finish.
Contador _ the 2007 Tour winner _ came into Sunday's stage in third place overall, 6 seconds behind Nocentini. Contador finished in 5 hours, 3 minutes, 58 seconds _ and the Italian trailed 2:36 back.
Andy Schleck of Luxembourg was second, 43 seconds back, and Vincenzo Nibali of Italy was third, 1:03 back.
Armstrong, who had entered the day fourth overall and eight seconds behind Nocentini, finished ninth, 1 minute, 35 seconds after the Spaniard.
More importantly, the Texan seven-time Tour champion trails Contador by 1:37 in the overall standings. Bradley Wiggins of Britain climbed from sixth place to third, 1:46 back of the Spaniard.
Armstrong's rivalry with his Astana teammate Contador, on ice during last week's mostly flat stages, had been poised to re-ignite in the ride to Verbier.
"Expect fireworks. Lots of them," Armstrong wrote on his Twitter feed ahead of the stage.
Riders get a rest day on Monday before two more stages in the Alps, an individual time trial in Annecy on Thursday, and then a ride up the dreaded Mont Ventoux on Saturday. The Tour ends on Sunday in Paris.