Óscar Freire
Freire at the 2011 Tour de Romandie
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Óscar Freire Gómez | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | The Cat, Oscarito | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
15 February 1976 Torrelavega, Spain |
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| Height | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 64 kg (141 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current team | Retired | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Road | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Rider | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rider type | Sprinter | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Professional team(s) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–1999 | Vitalicio Seguros | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2002 | Mapei–Quick-Step | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2011 | Rabobank | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Team Katusha | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Major wins | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Óscar Freire Gómez (born 15 February 1976) is a former Spanish professional road bicycle racer. He was one of the top sprinters in road bicycle racing, having won the world championship three times, equalling Alfredo Binda, Rik Van Steenbergen and Eddy Merckx. In the later years of his career, he has been more of a classics rider. He has won the cycling monument Milan–San Remo three times, four stages in the Tour de France and seven stages of the Vuelta a España, throughout a successful career.
Despite his diminutive stature, Freire was a good sprinter. He had a training philosophy where he rode shorter distances than most pro cyclists, sometimes covering only about half the distance his colleagues would.
Born in Torrelavega, Cantabria, 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.
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.
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