The ejection of team-mates Schleck and O’Grady from the Vuelta further upsets Breschel
Denmark’s number one rider, Matti Breschel, has had a less than ideal lead up to the World Championships. His exclusion from Saxo Bank’s Vuelta a España nine-man team was only made worse when the team sent home Andy Schleck and Stuart O’Grady for having a late-night drink.
“It eats me up inside,” Breschel told his country’s newspaper, BT.
Breschel will race Canada’s GP Montreal today after he placed 18th in the GP Québec on Friday.
“I’m just trying to get the best out of it. But it is not the same as if I had raced the Vuelta. I still believe it is the best way to come into form the World Championships.”
Breschel knows what the significance of the Vuelta a España. He finished third behind Italy’s Alessandro Ballan and Damiano Cunego at the 2008 World Championships in Varese, Italy, after he raced the Vuelta a España and won the stage to Madrid.
Last year, he also competed in the Vuelta a España and raced the World Championships in Mendrisio, Switzerland, one week later. He placed seventh behind winner, Australian Cadel Evans.
“I am confident that I can race a good World Championships, like always. But it’s just easier to participate in a race than having to train so late in an already long season.”
“We are racing in Spain to produce results,” Saxo Bank’s team manager, Bjarne Riis said after he named the nine-man team for the Vuelta a España.
Saxo Bank’s best result so far at the race has been Juan José Haedo’s third place on the stage to Orihuela. Riis wrote bigger headlines, though, with his ejection of Schleck and O’Grady after they were out late drinking the night before the 10th stage.
“Riders must have the correct race programme to hit top form for the World Championships, and participation in the Vuelta a España would have been ideal,” president of the Danish Cycling Federation, Jesper Worre said. “We still have great confidence in Matti Breschel. We know that he is preparing the best he can for the race.”
Denmark will send six riders to race the World Championships in Geelong, Australia: Breschel, his Saxo Bank team-mates Michael Morkov, Anders Lund, Alex Rasmussen and Chris Anker Sørensen, and HTC-Columbia’s Lars Bak.
Lund is currently racing the Vuelta a España for Saxo Bank and finished sixth on the stage to Vilanova i la Geltru. Breschel will end six years with team CSC/Saxo Bank at the end of this year. Next year, he will race for Dutch team, Rabobank.