Breschel out of Amstel, looking towards Tour

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Matti Breschel has been ruled out of this weekend's Amstel Gold Race due to tendonitis in his knee. The problem flared up at the Scheldeprijs race last Wednesday and forced him abandon Paris-Roubaix on Sunday. The Danish national Champion has now turned his attention towards recovering it time to make the Saxo Bank roster for the Tour de France.

After his withdrawal from Paris-Roubaix, Breschel underwent scans in Belgium, where a full diagnosis of the injury was made. Breschel was unlucky to miss out on his first Tour appearance last season and had expressed some concern over the injury's potential impact on his schedule in the lead up to this year's Tour.

"Doctors say it can take anything from three days to two weeks to get over it," Breschel told sportken.dk in an story published on Tuesday morning. "Initially it means that I probably won't start in the Amstel Gold Race on Sunday, although I have not spoken to Bjarne [Riis] about it. But in a longer perspective, it could affect my preparations for this year's Tour de France."

Saxo Bank Press Officer Allan Jørgensen confirmed to Cyclingnews on Tuesday that Breschel will take a week of complete rest and will miss Amstel Gold Race. However, with two-and-a-half months to go before the start of the Tour de France in Rotterdam. Breschel is confident he will be in a position to contend for one of the nine Tour spots on offer.

"He has to take a week off the bike," said Jørgensen. "He's got a lot of fluid in his knee and it's still quite inflamed. He has to leave his bike alone for a week, but he's looking forward to the Tour de France now."

Breschel acknowledged to sportken.dk that even with his injury, there would have been little hope of him winning Paris-Roubaix against his teammate and race-winner, Fabian Cancellara. He also pointed to the prospect of the Swiss achieving an historic treble at Amstel on Sunday.

"I do not believe I had a chance against Fabian at Paris-Roubaix. He was just far too good and he might go and take another victory in the Amstel Gold Race on Sunday. It would be crazy if he does so," he said.

Breschel is due to return to Denmark on Tuesday, where he will undergo treatment with former professional cyclist, now physiotherapist, Michael Kyneb.

"I hope maybe he can do something that helps the healing process. If nothing else, it is very nice that he is a former rider and knows the feeling of being out with an injury, and knows how to approach the situation."