World Championship runner-up sees Copenhagen Worlds as his best shot at a Rainbow Jersey
Matti Breschel's worst case scenario career ending surgery following his second place finish at the World Championships in Australia is fading into distant memory, and was once considered the worst case scenario, isn't even considered anymore. Now, Breschel considers the possible twelve week off the bike recovery time as the nightmare, but even that is only a faint memory.
"The nightmare scenario was for a break of up to twelve week when it was decided that it would be necessary to undergo surgery, but now I hope that I can settle for half," said the talented Dane in a conversation with politiken.dk.
Breschel is excited to know that he'll be back on the bike a month and a half earlier than what was previously thought possible, but even that isn't good enough for a typical rider aiming to target Spring Classics. Breschel doesn't seem too concerned though - he's doing as much as he can and eagerly counting down the days until he gets the go ahead from his doctors.
"Of course, the situation is not ideal, because under normal circumstances, I would already be strongly engaged in winter preparations now. I have tried to strength train, as I can do that now, but I will not make any hopes to get on the bike inside the next two weeks. This is the timeline the doctors have set for me, and if it goes ok, there will not need to be any changes to my season. If that's the case, then the operation will not affect the Spring Classics, which is my first big goal."
The two week mark can't come soon enough, and Breschel is not only excited to get back on his bike again, but excited to enjoy a life where his knee isn't a bother to him off the bike.
"There is a tingling in me to get going again, probably also because I no longer have knee pain when I'm just walking and standing. I will follow the doctors's advice though, and I will not run a risk by forcing it."
If all goes to plan, Breschel will be with his new Rabobank teammates at the Dutch squad's training camp in Calpe in January. After that, he'll head to Mallorca for five days of racing. In mid-March, Breschel will take part in Tirreno-Adriatico as preparation for Milano-Sanremo, where his Rabobank team will have to be considered a solid bet - with three-time Primavera winner, Oscar Freire, a top favorite in a sprint, and Breschel a wild card if a move goes away on the Poggio.
Oscar Freire and Matti Breschel will combine to be a formidable duo to cover both sprints and breaks with aplomb, but come the end of the season, Breschel's 35 year old Spanish teammate will likely be one of his greatest rivals at his home World Championships in Copenhagen.
Breschel has shown himself to be a major contender for the Worlds podium over the past three years. In Varese, he managed his first World podium with third behind Ballan and Cunego. In Mendrisio, he was seventh, and then of course, he was second behind only a perfect Thor Hushovd in Melbourne a few months ago.
"The World Championship is one of my biggest goals for 2011. The terrain is not as hard as in recent years, but the distance (282 km) is in itself sufficient to make the race difficult. I see it as a great opportunity to become World Champion. I believed it would happen in Australia, until I just missed in the final 100 meters."
While the 2009 Danish national champion might not be considered an outright sprinter, he has more than proved himself as a rider capable of winning sprints at the end of very difficult races. This ability coupled with the World Championships being held in his home country should make him a formidable possibility come next September.