Andreas Klöden facts for kids

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Andreas Klöden

Personal information
Full name	Andreas Klöden
Nickname	Klödi
Born	(1975-06-22) 22 June 1975 (age 50) Mittweida, Bezirk Karl-Marx-Stadt, East Germany
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	63 kg (139 lb; 9 st 13 lb)
Team information
Current team	Retired
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	All-rounder
Major wins
Grand Tours Tour de France 1 TTT stage (2009) Stage races Paris–Nice (2000) Tour of the Basque Country (2000, 2011) Tirreno–Adriatico (2007) Tour de Romandie (2008) One-day races and Classics National Road Race Championships (2004)

Andreas Klöden (born 22 June 1975) is a German former professional road bicycle racer. He competed as a professional cyclist from 1998 to 2013. Some of his biggest achievements include winning a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympic Games. He also finished second overall in the famous Tour de France race twice. This happened in 2004 and 2006 Tour de France. Klöden was known as a strong all-rounder. He was tall and light, which helped him perform well in major races.

Andreas Klöden's Cycling Journey

Klöden was born in Mittweida, Germany, in 1975. Before becoming a professional cyclist, he showed great promise. In 1996, he won a bronze medal. This was at the Under 23 World Time Trial Championships. The next year, 1997, he won two stages. These wins were at the International Rheinland-Pfalz Rundfahrt race.

Starting with T-Mobile Team (1998–2006)

Klöden joined the T-Mobile Team in 1998. In his first year as a pro, he won the Niedersachsen-Rundfahrt race. He also won the first part of the Tour de Normandie. In 1999, he won a stage at the Tour of Algarve in Portugal.

His best year came in 2000. He won two important races: Paris–Nice and Tour of the Basque Country. Later that year, he won a bronze medal. This was at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He raced alongside other top cyclists.

After 2000, Klöden faced three tough years. He had injuries and did not win any races. In 2003, he had to leave the 2003 Tour de France. This was because of a broken tailbone.

A Strong Comeback in 2004

In 2004, Klöden made a big comeback. He won the German National Road Racing Championships. This continued a winning streak for his team. One week later, the 2004 Tour de France began. Klöden started this race helping his teammate, Jan Ullrich.

He did not win any stages in that Tour. However, he finished second overall. He passed Italian rider Ivan Basso in the final time trial. His teammate Ullrich finished fourth that year. This was the only time Ullrich was not in the top three. Finishing ahead of Ullrich made Klöden famous. People thought he might move to another team. But he chose to stay with T-Mobile.

Klöden at the 2004 Tour de France.

In 2005, he won a stage at the Bayern-Rundfahrt. Klöden and his teammates were top contenders. They aimed for the overall win in the 2005 Tour de France. Klöden helped his team succeed. Ullrich finished 3rd and Vinokourov finished fifth. On stage 8, he attacked on a climb. He almost won the sprint finish. It was one of the closest finishes ever. Later, he had to leave the Tour. He crashed and broke a bone in his wrist.

In the 2006 Tour, Klöden became a favorite. Some top riders did not start the race. After a slow start, Klöden got stronger in the Alps. He moved up in the overall standings. He was very strong in the final time trial. He finished second in that stage. This moved him from fourth to third place overall. On stage 11, he lost some time. But on stage 15, he rode very well. He dropped almost everyone except the winner. He continued to perform strongly.

Joining Astana Team (2007–2009)

In August 2006, Klöden announced a new team. He would ride for Astana in 2007. This was a bit of a surprise. Astana's main leader was Alexander Vinokourov. Klöden would likely not be the top rider there. During the 2007 Tour de France, he rode well. But he had to help his team captain. He lost some time because of this. He also had an accident. He injured his tailbone again. Luckily, it was only a small fracture. He was able to keep racing. Astana later left the Tour.

In September, Klöden had another injury. He crashed during training. A car crossed his path, and he swerved. He ended up in a ditch. He missed some races due to this.

His 2008 season was quieter in big races. But he won the Tour of Romandie. He also finished second in the Tour de Suisse. In the 2009 Tour de France, he mainly helped his teammates. He finished 5th overall in that Tour.

In October 2009, Klöden joined Team Radioshack.

The Team Radioshack Years (2010–2013)

Klöden had a quiet 2010 season. He finished the 2010 Tour de France in 13th place. His other best results were 8th place finishes. These were in the Tour de Suisse and Eneco Tour.

2011 was a strong year for Klöden. He won the 2011 Tour of the Basque Country. He also finished second in Paris–Nice. He won a stage in that race too. He had two wins in individual time trials. These were in the Giro del Trentino and Critérium International. He was in good form for the 2011 Tour de France. But he crashed and had to leave the race. He injured his back in two crashes. He later started the Vuelta a España. But he had to withdraw from that race too.

In 2012, Klöden joined RadioShack-NissanTrek. He finished the 2012 Tour de France in 11th place. He also finished 4th in the USA Pro Cycling Challenge.

Klöden continued with Radioshack in 2013. He finished 9th in two early season races. These were the 2013 Volta ao Algarve and 2013 Paris–Nice. His first top-five finish was 4th place. This was at the 2013 Tour of Belgium. In the 2013 Tour de France, he lost time early on. He then focused on winning stages. He tried to win on stage 16, finishing fifth. He tried again on stage 19. He finished second there. He had also finished second on that stage in 2004. He finished the Tour in 30th place.

In October 2013, Klöden announced his retirement. He ended his professional cycling career after sixteen years.

Career achievements

Major results

General classification results timeline

Grand Tour general classification results
Grand Tour	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013
Giro d'Italia	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	DNF	—	—	—	—	—
Tour de France	—	—	—	26	—	DNF	2	DNF	2	DNF	—	5	13	DNF	11	30
/ Vuelta a España	DNF	62	DNF	—	DNF	—	—	—	—	—	20	—	—	DNF	—	—
Major stage race general classification results
Race	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013
/ Paris–Nice	—	—	1	DNF	DNF	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	2	18	9
/ Tirreno–Adriatico	—	—	—	—	—	7	77	90	129	1	—	3	—	—	—	—
Volta a Catalunya	—	DNF	DNF	DNF	—	61	—	—	—	—	—	—	23	—	—	—
Tour of the Basque Country	—	69	1	—	DNF	DNF	DNF	DNF	—	—	—	—	18	1	—	—
/ Tour de Romandie	—	—	—	53	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	—	—	—	22	—
Critérium du Dauphiné	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	DNF	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Tour de Suisse	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	DNF	10	2	4	8	38	39	63

See also

In Spanish: Andreas Klöden para niños