RadioShack’s German veteran poised for second overall victory 11 years after his first
RadioShack’s Andreas Klöden was as surprised as anyone to outsprint Olympic champion Samuel Sánchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) in the fifth stage of Paris-Nice. Despite having two second places in the Tour de France, in 2004 and 2006, recent victories have been few and far between for the German as he has spent the last few years riding as a super-domestique for past and present teammates Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong.
Today’s stage was Klöden’s first individual victory since taking the individual time trial in the Giro del Trentino back in April 2009, and the last time he took an overall stage race win was the 2008 Tour de Romandie.
“I started my sprint and saw Sammy Sánchez [Euskaltel-Euskadi] was coming but now I’m happy,” said Klöden after the stage. “I cannot remember when I won my last race in a sprint. It is not really my speciality but [teammate] Jani Brajkovic told me to get on his wheel, that he would lead the sprint for me and I thought I might as well try.
“I was in a good position,” he added. “I never thought [I’d] be able to beat Samuel Sánchez in a sprint. It’s great for me since I also get the yellow jersey. It’s also great for the team. I am so happy.”
While the win might have surprised the German, his season to date, which has included fifth place in the Volta ao Algarve, has pointed towards the possibility.
“I came to this race with ambitions,” he said, “but I never thought to take the yellow jersey. On the other hand, up to now I’ve had a good season. In Mallorca and Algarve I already saw that my condition was better than [in] other years.
“I am lucky with the weather too,” he explained. “I hate cold and rain, but here in Paris-Nice we can’t complain about the weather. I survived the first nervous days without major crashes. Today I was ready for a good performance. A victory is of course more than expected.”
Klöden won Paris-Nice as a promising 24-year-old way back in 2000. Now, as a 35-year-old he stands a chance of taking the race for a second time, 11 years after the first, which would be an unprecedented gap between victories in the race.
“It will be hard to win this Paris-Nice, as tomorrow we have a very hard 27 km [16.8 mile] time trial and we know Tony Martin [HTC-Highroad] will be very good,” he concluded. “It’s hard to beat him in a TT and he was very good today too. It’s hard to defend the jersey but I’m going to try!
“For me it’s not important how old you are. You have to stay motivated. I know I am a good rider. I work hard and today is the result. I will try everything and we will see tomorrow.”
Martin should be Klöden’s biggest threat in the stage 6 time trial, with the World bronze medallist in the race against the clock just 10 seconds behind.