Yesterday’s Paris-Roubaix wasn’t all good news for Fabian Cancellara and his Saxo Bank team. While the Swiss rode away with the race nearly 50 kilometers from the finish, teammate Matti Breschel was forced to pack it in 30 kilometers after his teammate’s audacious move with knee pain.
“I had a really good feeling yesterday, and believed that the pain I had in my knee during training in the middle of the week would not show up during the race,” explained Breschel to the Danish newspaper Politiken.
“I was optimistic until the very end. I didn’t want to make a big deal out of the injury, so I tried to keep it to myself.
“But unfortunately it turned out that hope could not deal with reality. When I really had to go deep on the pavé in the Arenberg forest, where I rode among the favorites in the group with Cancellara it began to hurt and it didn’t stop.”
Breschel told the paper earlier in the week that he was having issues with his knee that stemmed from a change in bike for Paris-Roubaix. Race winner Cancellara, who switched over to the same bike prior to Roubaix, didn’t experience the same problems and went on to win the race convincingly.
“It was so bad that I had to give up while riding in the front group with only 20 kilometers remaining. There was nothing else I could do but stop riding,” he explained.
“I have never experienced anything like this, and I’m really depressed right now. I can hardly stand on my leg, my knee is swollen, and I can’t ride the bike, so now it must be examined so we can find out what is wrong.”
It’s been a rough week for Breschel, who recently confirmed his form by winning Dwars door Vlaanderen in solo style. Last week a mechanical took him out of the Tour of Flanders after he had already begun to show his strength. Even with his misfortune, he is still happy for his friend and teammate’s good fortune: “I am so happy for Fabian and for his excellent and historic win.”
He was expected to ride in Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Amstel Gold Race, but now his participation is in doubt.