‘I have absolutely no doubt that Bjarne can help me’
After two quiet years with the Rabobank team, Matti Breschel has said that he is motivated to be back with Team Saxo – Tinkoff, and has indicated that stronger performances should lie ahead.
The Dane suggests that the structure is better organised at Bjarne Riis’ team, something he said that he needs. However he adds that Riis’ presence itself is something which works well for him, pushing him to get more out of himself.
“I know that I am in the right place. I know what the team stands for, and I know what Bjarne can do,” he told Sporten.dk. “I have absolutely no doubt that he can help me.
“There is something about Bjarne. It is a kind of awe,” he continued, explaining how he benefits from working with him. “We will not disappoint Bjarne. You appreciate when he praises you, and you listen to him when there is criticism, and then try to do better.”
Breschel moved to Riis’ CSC team in 2005 and immediately made an impression, finishing second overall in the Tour of Qatar. He won stages in the Tours of Denmark and Ireland in 2007, then went on to win a stage of the Vuelta a España in 2008. He followed that up with a bronze medal in the world road race championships, a performance which marked him out as a possible future winner of the race.
The following two seasons continued to bring success, with his 2009 results including stage wins in the Tour de Suisse, Volta a Catalunya and Tours of Luxembourg and Denmark, as well as top ten finishes in the Ronde van Vlaanderen, the world championships and Paris-Roubaix.
He was runner-up to Thor Hushovd in the 2010 worlds and also took victory in the Dwars door Vlaanderen and the Tour of Denmark.
However despite that success, Breschel was one of many who left the team at the end of the 2010 season. Several big names went to the Leopard Trek team, while the Dane headed to the Rabobank team and competed there for two seasons.
It seemed like a good move at the time, not least because he wanted more personal opportunity in the Classics, but instead he lost much of 2011 to injury and also had a relatively quiet 2012 season.
Looking back, he said that the structure and guidance of Riis at Saxo Bank was what was key for him. “Ot was not at all like that at Rabobank,” he said. “There you were left more to yourself, and people were a little indifferent. At periods I was like a headless chicken. Everything all took place in the Netherlands, while in Italy I was left to myself.”
Clearly a rider who appreciates more of a hands-on approach, the 28 year old wants to get back to his best form and make the most of what should be his prime years.
He has signed a two year deal with Team Saxo Tinkoff, and could be one of the team’s strongest Classic riders if he can get into top shape again.