Most of Buchmann's rivals perform better in the early season but he's flying come July. That's not to say he's weak in the spring.
Kloden podiumed the Tour twice, but both years he was quite unspectacular in spring. After he won in the Basque country he barely got top 5 in stage races for the next 7 years, yet he managed to podium the Tour twice in that time.
Yea I remember 2006 year he had a terrible year till the Tour, was totally invisible at the Tour de Suisse just 2 weeks before the Tour and then he comes in 2nd.