Klöden aiming for Tour

Andreas Klöden is clear about what he wants to accomplish this year: win the Tour de France this summer. "The Tour is my main goal for this season, because I continue to dream of one day standing on top of the podium in Paris," he told the press agency dpa. However, he might find some of the same problems with that goal on his Astana team that he faced with T-mobile - competition for the spot as team leader.

Alexander Vinokourov will also be an obvious candidate for leader, but as yet, no captain has yet been named for the Tour. Klöden said that the title may not be decided until some point during the race itself. "No one can say yet which of us will be the captain at the Tour. Vino and I are both prepared to support the other."

Klöden said hopes to see another rival, ex-teammate and close friend, at the Tour - Jan Ullrich. "If he gets a license from the Swiss Federation, then I assume that he will be at the start at the Tour. I wish it for him, that he can ride it again."

After eight years at Telekom/T-Mobile, Klöden changed this season to Astana, but isn't looking back. "I have never regretted this decision. At T-Mobile I would not have had as strong a team as I will have with this new team."