Arvesen out of Deutschland Tour

CSC's Kurt-Asle Arvesen was one of two riders who failed to finish yesterday's opening stage of the Tour of Germany, along with Swiss rider David Loosli (Lampre - Caffita) who quit with a knee injury after a crash. The loss of one of the team's big engines will likely weaken CSC's chances in Germany.

"When the break had a lead of more than seven minutes with just 30 kilometres to go, we moved towards the front of the peloton to help Gerolsteiner and T-Mobile take the lead," said CSC directeur sportif Kim Andersen. "It wasn't possible to catch the three-man break, but at least we managed to reduce their lead considerably. Even though Tankink has about three minutes on the peloton it's not serious - it's up to Quick Step to control the race now. Ahead of us is a very tough race with many difficult stages so nothing's decided yet."

"The weather wasn't exactly great, but hopefully it'll change. Both Bobby and Jens feel great, but unfortunately Kurt-Asle couldn't see the stage through to the end, as he was suffering from a stomach bug," added Andersen.