L'ALPE D'HUEZ, France, July 18 - Frank Schleck recovered from an almost disastrous preparation for the Tour de France to win the celebrated l'Alpe d'Huez stage after breaking clear two kilometres from the finish on Tuesday.

Schleck, the son of Luis Ocana's team mate Johnny, became the first rider from Luxemburg to win in the French Alpine resort, an altitude of 1,850 metres.

However, Amstel Gold Race winner Schleck almost did not start his first Tour.

"Nine days before the start, I crashed during training," he told reporters.

"I broke my nose, two teeth and had 12 stitches on my face. For four days, I could not eat and was not able to train for five days," he added.

The CSC rider was the strongest of a group of 25 fugitives when he attacked 2004 Giro d'Italia champion Damiano Cunego after one of the last curves of the last ascent.

"I'm not used to attacking but with a rider like Cunego with me, I had to take this chance of a lifetime," Schleck said.

"It's a dream come true. I don't realise what's happening to me. Now I will have something more to share with my room mate Jens Voigt," he added, referring to the German's victory in Montelimar.

Schleck achieved what compatriot Charly Gaul, a Tour champion in 1958 and the race's polka-dot jersey winner in 1955 and 1956 was not able to.

"I'm very proud to be compared with Charly Gaul, who was such a great rider", the 26-year-old added.

Schleck's victory is sweet revenge for Bjarne Riis's CSC team, who are without Giro d'Italia champion Ivan Basso.

Italian Basso was one of nine riders withdrawn from the Tour on the eve of the start after being implicated in a doping scandal in Spain.

The team have also lost American Bobby Julich, who crashed during the time trial in Rennes, and Italian Giovanni Lombardi in the Pyrenees.

"We now have two stage victories and we lead the teams' standings," said Schleck.

"And we still have to pull Carlos Sastre to the podium," he added.

Sastre, one of the race favourites, finished ninth, 1:35 adrift of his team mate but only 25 seconds behind yellow jersey holder Floyd Landis of the U.S.