Breschel flats

One rider not so lucky yesterday was Matti Breschel (CSC), who finished 50th in the last stage and fifth overall, but it might have been better. "It was actually a perfect set up for Matti, because the final was slightly uphill and we knew the podium spots were to be determined in that last sprint," said CSC sports director Scott Sunderland. "What happened was that Matti got a flat on the cobblestones 800 meters before the finish, which of course rendered him chanceless in the sprint. It was a shame 'cause he's really done well down here, and a spot on the podium was definitely within his reach. On the whole, the team has shown good form, so I think we'll have a very strong crew for next week's races."

CSC's next appointments are Paris-Bourges on Thursday and Sunday's ProTour-race, Paris-Tours.

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