Oscar Freire wins

OSCAR FREIRE

Date of birth: 15/02/1976

From: Torrelavega, Spain

Team: Katusha

Previous Teams: Rabobank (2003-2011), Mapei (2000-2002), Vitalicio Seguros (1998-1999)

Oscar Freire career profile

Three times a World road-race gold medallist, Oscar Freire is one of Spain's few Classics specialists.

In the late 1990s, Freire was single-handedly responsible for generating interest in one-day racing in Spain, a country which traditionally produced countless stage race specialists.

Born in Torrelavega in northern Spain, Freire's in-house speciality has always been the World Championships. He was on the point of quitting as a pro in 1999 when he got in the right break in the Worlds in Verona - and won. As he stood on the podium to get his gold medal, all plans of retirement were shelved when he was offered a multi-million pound contract with Mapei for 2000.

Then in 2001, Freire took gold again in a mass dash for the line in Lisbon - and in 2004, in another bunch sprint in Verona, he made that a hat-trick of rainbow jerseys.

But Freire is much more than cycling's foremost World Championships specialist. In 2008 Freire became the first ever Spaniard to win the green jersey in the Tour. Freire has also taken Milan-San Remo a remarkable three times (2004, 2007, 2010) as well as the Hamburg Cyclassic (2006) and Ghent-Wevelgem (2008). In 2010, Freire added a win at Paris-Tours to his extensive palmares.

Freire switched from long-term team Rabobank to Katusha for 2012, and started the season well with a stage win at the Tour Down Under in January.

He announced his retirement from the sport at the end of the 2012 season.

Oscar Freire results

2012

Tour Down Under; stage four

Vuelta a Andalucia; stage three

2011

Ruta del Sol; stage four

Ruta del Sol; stage five

2010

Challenge Mallorca; stage two

Tour of Andalusia - Ruta del Sol; stage two

Tour of Andalusia - Ruta del Sol; stage three

Milan-San Remo

Paris-Tours

Vuelta al Pais Vasco; stage one

Vuelta al Pais Vasco; stage two

2009

Tour of Romandy; stage two

Tour of Romandy; stage five

2008

Tour de France; stage

Tour de France; green points jersey

Tour of Spain, stage

Tour of Switzerland; stage

Tirreno-Adriatico; stage

Tirreno-Adriatico; stage

Ghent-Wevelgem

2007

Tour of Spain; stage

Tour of Spain; stage

Tour of Spain; stage

Tour of Mallorca, stage

Tour of Andalusia, two stages and overall

Milan-San Remo

Fleche Brabanconne

2006

Tour de France; stage

Tour de France; stage

Tirreno-Adriatico; stage

Tour of the Basque Country; stage

Tour of Switzerland; stage

Fleche Brabanconne

2005

Tirreno-Adriatico; stage

Tirreno-Adriatico; stage

Tirreno-Adriatico; stage

Tirreno-Adriatico; overall

Tour of Mallorca; stage

Tour of Mallorca; stage

Fleche Brabanconne

2004

Tour of Spain; stage

Tirreno-Adriatico, stage

Tour of Mallorca; stage

World Road Race Champion

Milan-San Remo

Trofeo Luis Puig

2003

Tirreno-Adriatico; stage

Tour of Catalonia; stage

Tour of Andalusia; stage

Tour of Andalusia; stage

Giro della Provincia di Lucca; stage

Giro della Provincia di Lucca; stage

Giro della Provincia di Lucca; overall

2002

Tour de France; stage

Tour of Mallorca; stage

Tour of Mallorca; stage

2001

Tour of Germany; stage

Tour of Burgos; stage

World Road Race Champion

2000

Tour of Spain; stage

Tour of Spain; stage

Tirreno-Adriatico; stage

Tirreno-Adriatico; stage

Tour of Mallorca, stage

Tour of Valencia, stage

Tour of Aragon; stage

Tour of Aragon; stage

Giro della Provincia di Lucca; stage

1999

World Road Race Champion

1998

Tour of Castille y Leon; stage


Oscar Freire photos

Oscar Freire

Oscar Freire



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