Bayern not challenging enough for Klöden

The Bayern Rundfahrt was a disappointment for Astana's Andreas Klöden, not because he only finished fifth, but because it wasn't challenging enough. "Only the time trial brought me any important indication about my form and technique in competitive conditions.

"It is irritating when the stages end in a sprint almost every single day," he added on his website, andreas-kloeden.com. "It would have been more exciting if an escape group would have had a chance to make it."

He is not worried, though, that his next race won't be challenging enough. He is scheduled to ride the Tour de Suisse, "where the profile will be difficult. The important thing is to get in the right form for the Tour de France."