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SION, Switzerland - Astana rider Andreas Kloeden won the stage three time trial Friday in the Tour of Romandie.

The 32-year-old German covered the 18-kilometre route around Sion in 25 minutes 32 seconds. Defending champion Thomas Dekker of the Netherlands was six seconds behind in second place.

Kloeden leads Dekker by five seconds in the overall standings.

"It was a very nice course for me and I had good legs today," said Kloeden, the 2006 Tour de France runner-up.

Astana has been denied entry into this year's Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France because of past doping problems. It was asked to leave last year's Tour when Alexander Vinokourov tested positive for blood doping while wearing the yellow jersey.

Vinokourov has since retired, and the team is under new management looking to make the most of opportunities in UCI Pro Tour races such as the six-day Romandie.

"It was a big victory for me because Astana does not have so many chances. It is unfair that the fans are not able to see the best teams in all the competitions," Kloeden said.

The victory was Kloeden's first of the season and second of the week for Astana, whose sprint specialist Maxim Iglinsky took Wednesday's stage one.

The peloton heads into the mountains Saturday on day five. The 127-kilometre trek from Sion to Zinal features four category one peaks.

"It will be a demanding climb. My legs are fine but I was sick early in the season and Dekker seems very strong," Kloeden said.