By Brecht Decaluwé in Pla-de-Beret
The T-Mobile team took the race in their hands in stage 11, but in the end they appeared to have hurt themselves. Andreas Klöden was unable to follow the group when Menchov attacked and finished one and a half minutes down by the finish.
However, Klöden still appeared happy with the performance of himself and the team: "Our tactic was a gamble, but it proved to be quite successful, as the Discovery riders and some other contenders have been eliminated," he said. "Sadly enough, I got cramps when Menchov accelerated. That's why I couldn't go along with them."
T-Mobile took the initiative in the race, but it was another team that proved to be the strongest in the end, which Klöden admitted: "Rabobank appeared to have the strongest team, with the likes of Menchov, Boogerd and Rasmussen."
