No Giro for Klier

After abandoning on the opening road stage of the Tour de Romandie, T-Mobile Team's Andreas Klier is reported to be still suffering the after-effects of his crash in Gent-Wevelgem, where he suffered concussion and injured his knee. "I wasn't expecting that it would all pass off perfectly, but if I had known before hand that I would abandon the race during stage one, then I wouldn't have travelled here," said a disappointed Klier on the team's website, www.t-mobile-team.com.

"The after-effects of the crash have obviously sapped much of my strength and power. I could ride my bike, but not on proper training rides. The knee feels fine now, but I was still suffering from frequent headaches on the bike [on Wednesday]."

The 28 year-old German was scheduled to be part of the team's make-up for the upcoming Giro d'Italia, but admits that will no longer be the case in his current form.

"I was looking towards the Giro and then I wanted to take a break, so I could prepare intensively for the second half of the season. But now I have to face up to the fact that there will be no Giro for me," he said.