Following a turbulent week that will likely mean the loss of both Andy and Frank Schleck along with Jakob Fuglsang to a new team based in Luxembourg, Saxo Bank boss Bjarne Riis still has an opportunity to keep his squad for the spring Classics as one of the favorites for next year. Matti Breschel has not yet decided to jump ship from the Danish squad to ride for another team, and will meet with Riis at the Tour de France before making a final decision.
Riis has been trying to secure a title sponsor to replace Saxo Bank for 2011 in order to keep the financially strapped team going. Rumors link American technology company Sungard to the Danish squad, but Riis has kept his cards close to his chest, assuming he has any play.
Fabian Cancellara is under contract with the team through 2011, and it would appear that the man who dominated the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix will honor his contract if Riis has an answer to the sponsorship question. In the spring Breschel and Cancellara formed the core Saxo Bank's Classics assault. The Dane looked to have had the form of his life as he rode away from the peloton to win the Dwars door Vlaanderen, but knee problems gave him a rough ride for the rest of the spring.
Despite his problems, Breschel's stock went up as a Classics specialist since he was clearly on track to build on his 2009 success. "Matti is in talks with several different teams at the ProTour level," his father Tom told sporten.dk. "There is plenty of interest in him," he said, but he will first meet with Riis to see what he's offering.
"Matti feels good at Team Saxo Bank," he continued, adding that he deserved a more lucrative contract because of his performances.
If Riis manages to keep both Classics specialists he will have a solid foundation to re-build his team upon. Along with Andy Schleck, both Carlos Sastre and Ivan Basso have come through the ranks on the Danish organization and, with key sports director Kim Andersen heading to the new team, if Riis has a sponsor in the bag, his skills as a leader will again be tested.