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Tuesday, February 24, 2009 Klöden shows form in Algarve by VeloNation Press at 3:18 PM EST   comments Categories: Pro Cycling   Although most of the news coming from Astana has to do with their Grand Tour prospects Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador, another one of their riders has also had a good winter. Andreas Klöden has come off his first race of the season, The Tour of Algarve, content with his performance. "It was my first time this year with a good opportunity to test my new (time trial) bike," Klöden said on his website. "I was even surprised that it ran so well and I was fast enough to place amongst the top three." The 33-year-old had just returned from a training camp in the United States, and despite the jet lag, was able to put in a solid performance. "The past shows that my first race of the season is always difficult," said Klöden, "but my entry in the Tour of Algarve makes me very confident, especially since I have no special preparation, and came directly from the training camp." With Levi Leipheimer winning a third consecutive Tour of California, Alberto Contador winning the Tour of Algarve, Lance Armstrong showing he means business, and Klöden also performing well the Astana Tour de France team could very well be the strongest ever assembled.       comments Follow @Pro_Cycling Tweet Subscribe via RSS or daily email Contact the editor about this article