Matti Breschel is hoping that his goal of becoming one of the top Classics riders in the sport will get a boost from a transfer to the Rabobank team. The signing was confirmed today and will see the former Danish champion compete with the Dutch squad in 2011 and 2012.
He is seen mainly as a rider for Classic events. “Breschel has shown that he is one of the most talented riders for one-day races," said technical director Erik Breukink today. “Together with the other big focuses of the Classic team, Boom and Langeveld, we will have a strong block of riders."
Still just 25 years of age, Breschel has taken a number of very promising results thus far in his pro career. He was third in the 2008 world road race championships, and placed seventh last year on what was a tougher course.
This spring he won the Dwars door Vlaanderen with a superb solo attack. He has taken stage wins in the national Tours of Spain, Denmark, Switzerland, Ireland and Luxembourg, as well as doing the same in the Vuelta a Catalunya and the Ster Elektro Tour. Breschel is a three-time points jersey winner in the Tour of Denmark, raising the trophy again this weekend and nabbing another stage win there.
He turned pro in 2005 with Team CSC and has remained with Bjarne Riis’squad since then. However, like the Schleck brothers, Jakob Fuglsang, Jens Voigt and others, he has decided to leave the Saxo Bank setup. Riis struggled for quite a while this year to find replacement sponsors for 2011, and the financial uncertainly caused many to jump ship.
Riis recently announced that Saxo Bank would stay on board for another year, teaming up with Sungard to back the squad. Alberto Contador will move to the team in 2011 and will attempt to take his fourth Tour de France next summer.
Breschel, meanwhile, is aiming to keep progressing and to expand what is a very respectable palmares for a young rider.