Saxo Bank satisfied with Roubaix outing

Team Saxo Bank ended Paris-Roubaix with a 10th place Sunday in northern France, thanks to the performance of the 24-year-old Dane, Matti Breschel.

"Although it would have been nice to have had a Saxo Bank rider on the podium, we can not be dissatisfied with the performances of the riders. They gave all they had," said Directeur Sportif Lars Michaelsen.

Saxo Bank placed Kasper Klostergård in the 11-man escape that went clear 42 kilometres into the 259-kilometre cobbled classic. Once a group of the favourites caught the escapees at kilometre 199, Klostergård remained up front to help teammates Fabian Cancellara and Matti Breschel.

The trio lacked a response to the attack of eventual winner Tom Boonen on the Mons-en-Pévèle sector (kilometre 210.5).

"We started the race with the ambition of taking the front and creating the race, and we succeeded. Unfortunately, we did not have the strength to respond when the decision was made."

Breschel finished 5:29 down on Boonen in the Manuel Quinziato-led group. Kurt-Asle Arvesen finished 16th, Marcus Ljungqvist 30th and Lars Bak 45th. Klostergård and Cancellara finished 48th and 49th at 6:45.

Juan José Haedo, Matthew Goss, Jonathan Bellis, Dominic Klemme, Klostergård, Anders Lund, Michael Morkov Christensen and Alex Rasmussen lead the Danish team today in Belgium's Scheldeprijs one-day race. A different set of riders will confront the Ardennes Classics next week.