Team Astana's Andreas Klöden will not ride the Deutschland Tour, choosing instead to help his team gain its second Grand Tour victory in the Vuelta a España. Klöden explained that this is a major objective for his team, which was denied entry into the Tour de France despite having the defending champion among its ranks. After a discussion with his team's directors, it was decided that the German would benefit the team more in Spain.
"For Astana, the Vuelta, as one of the three major tours per year is very important, and we want of course to win," said Klöden.
