kloden.jpgAndreas Klöden did not show up at Astana’s training camp and he is working with a private coach, focusing on the World Championship in Stuttgart next month. It’s been a disastrous and frustrating year for Klöden, who was fifth in the standings at the Tour de France this year when teammate Alexander Vinokourov was kicked out for blood doping. Klöden had a very good chance of ending up in the top 3 but had to sacrifice his own performance to wait for Vinokourov at one stage of the Tour. In the end, the blood doping scandal forced Astana. Klöden gave up a great chance to end his career (he is 32) with a top 3 finish at the Tour de France.

Meanwhile, Astana just keeps getting more bad news. After yet another Astana rider was caught engaged in blood doping (Kaschechkin), the Vuelta (Tour of Spain) says they don’t want Astana to compete.

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