Matti Breschel hit by flying mattress in Oman

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Matti Breschel (Tinkoff-Saxo) came through the Tour Oman unscathed but following a ride back to the team hotel after the final stage, a flying mattress brought down the Dane. Breschel escaped without suffering any serious injuries although has several abrasions post-crash.

"After the stage, we were riding back to our hotel and on a descent when I was going 70 kilometers an hour, a mattress flew into my front wheel and brought the bike to a standstill," Breschel said via a team press release.

"I hit the asphalt pretty hard and lost a lot of skin on my legs and face and the wound on my knee had to be stitched up. It’s still too early to say, but I trust it doesn't influence my preparations for the classic campaign and I'll stick to my regular training program. I'm not concerned at this moment."

Breschel's next race will be Paris-Nice as he builds his form for the cobbled classics and looks to improve upon his sixth place at the 2009 Tour of Flanders.