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.
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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
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