Pierre Rolland of France won the hardest Alpine stage in the Tour de France yesterday, and Bradley Wiggins dusted defending champion Cadel Evans in the final climb to extend his overall lead.

Rolland gave the Europcar team its second straight stage win after the 148-kilometre 11th stage from Albertville that ended with a gruelling ascent to the ski resort of La Toussuire.

In collecting his second Tour stage victory after another tough uphill finish last year at the fabled Alpe d’Huez, Rolland won by 55 seconds from countryman Thibaut Pinot and third-placed Christopher Froome of Britain. Wiggins and two rivals for the title— Jurgen Van Den Broeck of Belgium and Vincenzo Nibali of Italy — were a further two seconds slower.

“I’d been dreaming about this stage for six months ... I got all sorts of messages this morning saying ‘it’s your turn, it’s your turn,’” said Rolland. “My second victory in the Alps in two years — I don’t have the words to describe the feeling.”

He won even after skidding to the ground in a crash during the last big downhill.

Wiggins, along with Froome and other Sky teammates, repelled repeated attacks by his yellow jersey rivals over three huge ascents in the ride. Evans fell from second place overall— possibly seeing his repeat hopes vanish — after losing more than a minute to Wiggins.

Evans began the day 1:53 behind Wiggins.

Wiggins said he felt “relief” in the last few kilometres that the hardest Alpine stage was nearly over, especially knowing that Evans had been dropped — an outcome the Briton had not expected.

The race stays in the Alps today with a 226-kilometre ride from Saint-Jean-De-Maurienne to Annonay Davezieux.