Klöden: "Keep the faith"

"There are black sheep, and there probably will also be in the future, but I want to do what I can to support our sport and urge our fans not to lose their faith in a fair sport," Andreas Klöden wrote on his Web site.

Speaking out doping issues, he emphasised "I strongly condemn doping and strongly support what the Bund Deutscher Radfahrer [German cycling federation], among others, is currently doing."

"We are required the whole year to let [the national federation] know where we are. Next to the doping controls that regularly take place during competition, we must also undertake spontaneous controls throughout the year. For example, this year I was tested several times at a training camp in South Africa.

"What I want to say, is that there is a system that works and that all pro cyclists have to obey. I don't make any secret of the fact that it is sometimes a bother, when for example, you are tested a half an hour before a race stars, but I also say, that it has to be!"

Klöden also announced some happier news: he and longtime girlfriend Bettina will be married next month in October. The couple has two daughters.