Voigt eyes home win

A pancake-flat course is likely to play into the hands of the 34 year-old German, for whom a win in the overall classification would be the biggest victory of his long career.

The only man seemingly capable of overhauling Voigt is Gerolsteiner's Levi Leipheimer. The 32 year-old American lies 24 seconds adrift, though admitted after yesterday's final Alpine stage that "Voigt is now the favourite for overall victory."

Leipheimer (right) has a reputation as a strong time-trialler, though he finished over six minutes off the pace in both the time-trial stages at this year's Tour de France. Voigt's last-place finish in the first time-trial can be ignored, as he was saving himself for a breakaway on the following day, and he finished 1'46" ahead of Leipheimer in the second.

Lampre's Evgeni Petrov lies 56 seconds back, though is unlikely to prove any danger to the top two. Vladimir Gusev, who stunned the field by winning the prologue of the Tour of Germany ahead of Sebastian Lang and Linus Gerdemann lies a minute behind Voigt, though as a former Russian champion in the discipline, he is expected to move above Petrov into third by the end of the stage.

The race though, is Voigt's to win and lose. He showed in the Alpine stages that he has the ability to produce titanic efforts in disciplines that do not favour him, and the prospect of the victory in his home Tour together with the backing of a vocal support could prove enough to spur him on, and preserve his lead over Leipheimer.