He’s had several seasons where he wasn’t performing at his previous level but Matti Breschel’s return to Team Saxo Tinkoff has brought him his most consistent results in several years.
The Danish rider is heading towards the end of his 2013 campaign in a good frame of mind and after netting his second top-four finish in the bunch sprints of the tour of Beijing, he is sounding upbeat once again.
“I'm happy to finish the season well here in China with a few good results,” said Breschel after today’s final stage.
“I've been in good condition for a good long time and I've been equally motivated. After my unfortunate crash during the World's, I've been waiting for the opportunity to turn my good condition into results.”
Breschel was fourth on stage two to Yanqing, and echoed that finishing position on today’s final gallop in Beijing. While he came up a little short on what he was hoping for, he is still pleased with how things went.
“In China I was aiming for stage wins but hats off to a very strong and perhaps more hardcore sprinter, Bouhanni. It's my first race in China and I definitely think they have arranged a well-organized race,” he said.
“Now, we're off to Japan where we'll probably try to support Takashi (Miyazawa) and get a good result to finish off the season.”
After the Japan Cup, Breschel will take some time off to recharge the batteries, then knuckle down again for what he hopes will be a big 2014. He’s a rider who has clocked up some big results in the past, including second and third in the world road race championships and now that his confidence has returned, he’ll be aiming big once again.
Luka Mezgec (Argos-Shimano) took today’s final stage of the Tour of Beijing; see the race report here.