Team CSC's Matti Breschel was transferred from the hospital in Torhout to Oudenaarde mid last week, where he started mild rehabilitation exercise. The injuries the young Dane suffered turned out to be more serious than initially thought: After his crash in the last stage of the Three Days of West-Flanders, Breschel had been confined to his hospital bed most of the time. Teh CSC rider is now allowed to head back home tomorrow, Wednesday, but he will be wearing a special harness to protect his torso.
"At times I feel really good - guess that is when I've been given a fresh batch of painkillers," he said jokingly. "I get up and move around more easily then. My mum even took me out for a breath of fresh air yesterday. I've got to say it's a special experience to be in a wheelchair. Seeing the cobbled streets normally gives me a real buzz and then I can't wait to get on the bike and ride them; but now I had complete different feelings!"
Breschel has received lots of support over the last week, not only from his family and his team. "It's been great to get that many heart-warming messages from the Belgian people and fans from all over via e-mail," he said. "Johan Museeuw has checked on me regularly and it's really nice of him to be so concerned about my progress.
"I received plenty of chocolate and that's a real treat of course; but I've got to be careful not to put on any weight, so mum and my younger brother Casper are going to enjoy them most for a while to come!," added Breschel, who is looking forward to full recovery.
"I've remained positive all along and feel things are heading in the right direction," the Dane said. "The headaches are definitely decreasing, but my back is killing me at times. The lack of movement is the main cause for it I think and I'm sure Ole Foli [team CSC Body SDS Therapist] will have his work cut out. But I am looking forward to going back to Denmark and get back to bike training as soon as possible. I'm motivated and eager to return to competition."
