Óscar Freire: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 16:01, 20 March 2010
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Óscar Freire Gómez | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | The Cat, Oscarito | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 63 kg (139 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current team | Rabobank | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Road | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Rider | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rider type | Sprinter | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Major wins | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tour de France
Milan-Sanremo (2004, 2007)  World Road Race Champion (1999, 2001, 2004) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Óscar Freire Gómez (born February 15, 1976 in Torrelavega, Cantabria) is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer, riding for the UCI ProTeam Rabobank. He is one of the top sprinters in road bicycle racing, having won the world championship a three times, equalling Alfredo Binda, Rik Van Steenbergen and Eddy Merckx. He has also twice won Milan-Sanremo.
Career
Freire became professional in 1998 with Vitalicio Seguros. He won one race that year, a stage of the Vuelta a Castilla y León. He came 11th in Paris-Tours. In 1999, Freire won little until the world championship in October. He went to Verona to make up numbers in the Spanish team. He spent his prize on an elevator for his grandmother's apartment.
Despite diminutive stature, Freire is a feared sprinter. He is sometimes criticized for his training, since he rides only half the distance of other cyclists.
Freire joined Mapei in 2000. It had been ranked best team since 1994. That year he won 11 races including two stages in the Vuelta a España. He also came third place in the world championship. In 2001 he won two races and took the points competition in the Vuelta a Burgos, before becoming world champion for the second time. In 2002 he won a stage in the Tour de France.
In 2003, Freire moved to Rabobank, where in his first season he won six races. In 2004 he won Milan-Sanremo, Trofeo Luis Puig, a stage and second place overall in Tirreno-Adriatico, a stage in the Vuelta a España and for the third time, and the second time in Verona, the world championship. He started 2005 winning three stages, the points classification and the yellow jersey at Tirreno-Adriatico, as well as the Brabantse Pijl, Trofeo Alcudia and Trofeo Mallorca, all before the end of March. His season was then cut short by a saddle sore.
In 2006, Freire won his second consecutive Brabantse Pijl. His stage 3 win at Tirreno-Adriatico allowed him to lead for two days. At the Tour de Suisse, he survived an early break of four riders to win alone on stage 7.
Freire won the fifth and ninth stages in the 2006 Tour de France and was contesting the points classification when he retired due to illness. During stage twelve, he was in a breakaway with three others. When Yaroslav Popovych, riding for the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team, rode away for victory, rumours spread that Freire had been ordered by Rabobank not to ride for the victory, to secure help from the Discovery Team in the mountains. Although rumours were denied by both teams, Freire was upset after the stage.
Freire continued his successful year by winning the Vattenfall Cyclassics ahead of German favourite Erik Zabel. Freire had half of Rabobank’s victories in 2006. His season was cut short by neck and spinal injuries, forcing him to miss the Vuelta a España and world championship.
Freire re-signed for Rabobank in late 2006 until the end of 2008, rejecting Saunier Duval-Prodir.
In the 2007 Tour de France, he did not win a stage, partly because Rabobank was defending Michael Rasmussen's lead for a large part of the race. But he won three stages in the Vuelta a España.
In the Tour, Freire wore the green jersey from stage 8. He won stage 14 and the points classification.
In the 2009 Tour he and Julian Dean were shot by an air rifle during the 13th stage from Vittel to Colmar. He was shot in the thigh and finished the stage 117th.[1]
Freire’s career has been blighted with injury and lay-offs. He had back problems, saddle sores and neck problems.
Palmarès
- 1997
- 2nd
U23 Road Race World Championships - 1998
- 1st Stage 1 Vuelta a Castilla y León
- 3rd Spanish National Road Race Championships
- 1999
- 1st
Road Race World Championship - 2000
- 1st Stage 2 Vuelta a España
- 1st Stage 4 Vuelta a España
- 1st Stage 1 Tirreno-Adriatico
- 1st Stage 6 Tirreno-Adriatico
- 1st Stage 3 Vuelta a Aragon
- 1st Stage 4 Vuelta a Aragon
- 1st Points classification
- 1st Stage 3 Giro della Provincia di Lucca
- 1st Stage 3 Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana
- 1st Trofeo Mallorca
- 3rd
Road Race World Championship - 3rd Milan-Sanremo
- 2001
- 1st Road Race World Championship
- 1st Stage 5 Vuelta a Burgos
- 1st Points classification
- 1st Stage 4 Deutschland Tour
- 2002
- 1st Stage 2 Tour de France
- 1st Manacor-Porto Cristo
- 1st Cala Rajada – Cala Millor
- 2003
- 1st
Overall Giro della Provincia di Lucca
- 1st Stage 1
- 1st Stage 2
- 1st Stage 1 Vuelta a Andalucía
- 1st Stage 2 Vuelta a Andalucía
- 1st Points classification
- 1st Stage 7 Tirreno-Adriatico
- 1st Stage 5 Volta a Catalunya
- 2004
- 1st Road Race World Championship
- 1st Milan-Sanremo
- 1st Stage 6 Vuelta a España
- 1st Stage 3 Tirreno-Adriatico
- 1st Trofeo Luis Puig
- 1st Trofeo Cala Millor – Cala Rajada
- 2005
- 1st Overall Tirenno-Adriatico
- 1st Stage 2
- 1st Stage 3
- 1st Stage 4
- 1st Points classification
- 1st Brabantse Pijl
- 1st Trofeo Alcudia
- 1st Trofeo Mallorca
- 2006
- 1st Stage 5 Tour de France
- 1st Stage 9 Tour de France
- 1st Stage 7 Tour de Suisse
- 1st Stage 4 Vuelta al País Vasco
- 1st Stage 3 Tirenno-Adriatico
- 1st Vattenfall Cyclassics
- 1st Brabantse Pijl
- 2007
- 1st Milan-Sanremo
- 1st Stage 2 Vuelta a España
- 1st Stage 5 Vuelta a España
- 1st Stage 6 Vuelta a España
- Held
Gold jersey wearer From Stages 2-3
- Held
- 1st Trofeo Mallorca
- 1st Overall Vuelta a Andalucía
- 1st Stage 2
- 1st Stage 5
- 1st Points classification
- 1st Brabantse Pijl
- 2nd Vattenfall Cyclassics
- 3rd Gent-Wevelgem
- 3rd Paris-Tours
- 2008
- 1st Stage 14 Tour de France
- 1st Stage 11 Vuelta a España
- 1st Gent-Wevelgem
- 1st Stage 1 Tour de Suisse
- 1st Stage 1 Tirreno-Adriatico
- 1st Stage 4 Tirreno-Adriatico
- 1st Stage 6 Tirreno-Adriatico
- 1st Points classification
- 2009
- 1st Stage 2 Tour de Romandie
- 1st Stage 5 Tour de Romandie
- 2010
- 1st Trofeo Calla Millor
- 1st Stage 2 Vuelta a Andalucía
- 1st Stage 3 Vuelta a Andalucía
- 1st Milan-Sanremo
References
External links
- Official Site Template:Es icon
- Profile on Rabobank website Template:Nl icon
- Óscar Freire at trap-friis.dk
