CHOLET, France (AP) — Stefan Schumacher of Germany took the yellow jersey at the Tour de France, and now says everything else is a bonus.

He knows his early lead won’t last.

‘‘Everybody dreams of this jersey,’’ Schumacher said Tuesday. ‘‘It’s incredible. The moment on the podium, you see it a thousand times on television, and to be there for yourself — you can’t imagine.’’

Schumacher captured the first time trial in the three-week race, but the big winner in the fourth stage may have been Australia’s Cadel Evans. He gained more than a minute on his biggest challengers, a gap that will mean a lot when the decisive mountain stages arrive.

Schumacher finished the 18.3-mile individual trial in 35 minutes, 44 seconds. Kim Kirchen of Luxembourg and David Millar of Britain finished second and third, both 18 seconds back. That is also the order of the overall standings, where Schumacher leads by 12 seconds.

He will probably hold the lead in Wednesda