Victory for Voigt

34 year-old Voigt enjoyed a comfortable day in the peloton, after having extended his advantage over Levi Leipheimer in Tuesday’s time-trial to over a minute and a half. He was protected by his CSC team-mates and crossed the line in the middle of the pack.

Speaking after his victory he admitted: "It's been a hard race but I was ready for it. I didn't spend more than one day off with my family between the Tour de France and the Tour of Germany and didn't ease up.

"Today was a flat stage, not too hard, and I could enjoy wearing my jersey in front of my home fans."

The stage was always likely to be one for the sprinters, and so it proved. A breakaway trio comprising of Credit Agricole's Mads Kaggestad, Ag2r's Lloyd Mondory and Vorarlberg's Pascal Hungerbühler forged ahead after 25 kilometres, but was comfortably reeled back in by the peloton, driven by Lampre and Milram with 16 kilometres remaining.

T-Mobile moved to the front as the pack entered Karlsruhe, but once again the magentas were nowhere to be seen when it mattered.

Team Wiesenhof and Rabobank both moved to the front as the sprint was launched several hundred metres out, and Graeme Brown made his move. Erik Zabel – yet to win a stage the tour – followed him and moved wide to come past with just a few metres remaining.

But it was too late. The 36 year-old Milram rider was found wanting and once again, he had to content himself with second place. Brown crossed the line, fists clenched with delight, and said afterwards:

“The first few days were a bit disappointing because I was looking for a result and didn't get it, but things came round at the end.”