Óscar Freire Gómez (born 15 February 1976) is a Spanish former professional

road bicycle racer Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The two most com ...

. He was one of the top sprinters in

road bicycle racing Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on Road surface, paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The ...

, having won the world championship three times, equalling

Alfredo Binda Alfredo Binda (11 August 1902 – 19 July 1986) was an Italian road bicycle racing, road cyclist of the 1920s and 1930s. He was the first to win five editions of the Giro d'Italia, and a three-time UCI Road World Championships – Men's road rac ...

Rik Van Steenbergen Hendrik Van Steenbergen (9 September 1924 – 15 May 2003) was a Belgium, Belgian racing cyclist, considered to be one of the best among the great number of successful Belgian cyclists. Early life Van Steenbergen was born in Arendonk into ...

Eddy Merckx Édouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx (born 17 June 1945), known as Eddy Merckx (, ), is a Belgian former professional road and track cyclist racer who is the most successful rider in the history of competitive cycling. His victories include an ...

and Peter Sagan. In the later years of his career, he became more of a classics rider. He won the cycling monument

Milan–San Remo Milan–Sanremo (in italian language, Italian ''Milano-Sanremo''), also called "''The Spring classic''" or "''La Classicissima''", is an annual road bicycle racing, road cycling race between Milan and Sanremo, in Northwest Italy. With a distance ...

three times, the green jersey and four stages in the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...

and seven stages of the

Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; ) is an annual stage race, multi-stage bicycle racing, bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Ital ...

, throughout a successful career. Despite his diminutive stature, Freire was a world class sprinter. He had a training philosophy where he rode shorter distances than most professional cyclists, sometimes covering only about half the distance his colleagues would. When growing up he contracted tuberculosis and narrowly avoided having a leg amputated.Fotheringham, A. (2014). The Exile. In: E. Bacon and L. Birnie, ed., ''The Cycling Anthology: Volume One''. London: Yellow Jersey Press, pp.208-230.

Career

Vitalicio Seguros (1998–1999)

Born in Torrelavega, Cantabria, (where the town has named a velodrome in his honour) 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 Paris–Tours is a French one-day classic road cycling race held every October from the outskirts of Paris to the cathedral city of Tours. It is a predominantly flat course through the Chevreuse and Loire valleys; the highest point is 200 m ...

. In 1999, Freire won little until the UCI World Championship Road Race in October. He went to

Verona Verona ( ; ; or ) is a city on the Adige, River Adige in Veneto, Italy, with 255,131 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region, and is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and in Northeast Italy, nor ...

to make up numbers in the Spanish team. He spent his prize on an elevator for his grandmother's apartment. After his victory, as with all his victories, his grandmother sung a regional folk song on his telephone. Prior to winning the World Championships,

ONCE Once may refer to: Film, television and theatre * ''Once'' (film), a 2007 Irish musical film by John Carney ** ''Once'' (musical), a 2011 stage adaptation of the film * ''Once'' (TV series), a 2017–2019 Argentine telenovela * Canal Once (Mex ...

had expressed interest in signing him, but following victory his inflated price was too high, meaning that he never rode for a native team again.

Mapei–Quick Step (2000–2002)

Freire joined

Mapei Mapei S.p.A. () is an Italian limited company founded in 1937 in Milan that manufactures chemical products for the building industry. History Innovation and research The company was founded and originally called ''Materiali Ausiliari per l ...

in 2000. Upon joining the team, he spent his salary on a new family home for his parents and grandmother. It had been ranked best team since 1994. That year he won 11 races including two stages in the

. He also came third place in the UCI World Championship Road Race. In 2001 he won two races and took the points competition in the Vuelta a Burgos, before becoming world champion for the second time by winning the 2001 UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race in

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

. In 2002 he won a stage in the

Rabobank (2003–2011)

In 2003, Freire moved to

Rabobank Rabobank (; full name: ''Coöperatieve Rabobank U.A.'') is a Dutch multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in Utrecht, Netherlands. The group comprises 89 local Dutch Rabobanks (2019), a central organisation (Raboban ...

, where in his first season he won six races. In 2004 he won

, Trofeo Luis Puig, a stage and second place overall in

Tirreno–Adriatico Tirreno–Adriatico, nicknamed the "Race of the Two Seas", is an elite road bicycle racing, road cycling stage race in Italy, run between the Tyrrhenian Sea, Tyrrhenian and Adriatic Sea, Adriatic coasts. Traditionally held in the early part of th ...

, a stage in the

and for the third time, and the second time in Verona, the world championship road race. He started 2005 winning three stages, the points classification and the yellow jersey at Tirreno–Adriatico, as well as the Brabantse Pijl, Trofeo Alcúdia 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

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 The 2006 Tour de France was the 93rd edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours. It took place between the 1st and the 23rd of July. It was won by Óscar Pereiro following the disqualification of Floyd Land ...

and was contesting the points classification when he retired due to illness. During stage twelve, he was in a breakaway with three others. Freire's career has been blighted with injury and lay-offs. He had back problems, saddle sores and neck problems. 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 Erik Zabel (; born 7 July 1970) is a German former professional road bicycle racer who raced for most of his career with Team Telekom. With 152 professional wins and 211 wins in his career, he is considered by some to be one of the greatest Germ ...

. 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. Oscar Freire 2008

In the

2007 Tour de France The 2007 Tour de France the 94th running of Tour de France, the race, took place from 7 to 29 July. The Tour began with a prologue in London, and ended with the traditional finish in Paris. Along the way, the route also passed through Belgium and ...

, he did not win a stage, partly because

was defending Michael Rasmussen's lead for a large part of the race. But he won three stages in the

. In the 2008 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 An air gun or airgun is a gun that uses energy from compressed air or other gases that are mechanically pressurized and then released to propel and accelerate projectiles, similar to the principle of the primitive blowgun. This is in contr ...

during the 13th stage from Vittel to

Colmar Colmar (; ; or ) is a city and commune in the Haut-Rhin department and Alsace region of north-eastern France. The third-largest commune in Alsace (after Strasbourg and Mulhouse), it is the seat of the prefecture of the Haut-Rhin department ...

. He was shot in the thigh and finished the stage 117th. In March 2010, Freire won the 2010 Milan–San Remo in front of Tom Boonen and Alessandro Petacchi. On 10 October 2010 Freire became the first Spaniard to win

and in doing so became the new holder of the

Ruban Jaune The Ruban Jaune ''(English; Yellow Ribbon)'' is a cycling title created in 1936 by Henri Desgrange, awarded to the rider recording the fastest average speed in a professional cycling race or stage longer than 200 km. The name is thought to ...

for setting the fastest average speed in a classic race, he covered the 233 km at an average of 47.73 km per hour. Cyclingnews.com
Gives details of 2010 edition of Paris–Tours. Oscar-Freire

Shortly before the 2011 UCI Road World Championships it was announced that Óscar Freire would retire at the end of the season if he did not win the World Championship road race. Freire ended negotiations to continue his contract with his team before the race, and noted health issues include worsening respiratory problems, having had sinus and

nasal surgery Nasal surgery is a medical procedure designed to treat various conditions that cause nasal blockages in the Respiratory tract, upper respiratory tract, for example Nasal polyp, nasal polyps, inferior turbinate hypertrophy, and Sinusitis, chronic r ...

in the last two years. He was unable to race the 2011 Tour de France and was forced to abandon the 2011 Vuelta a España.Cyclingnews.com
Freire: World title or retirement.

Team Katusha (2012)

Initially, Freire planned to finish his career by 2012, but at the end of season 2011 he suddenly changed his mind. While his home

team, confused by the situation and Oscar's indecision, failed to provide him an extension for another year, Freire had to start talks with other teams. Omega Pharma–Quick-Step, Lotto–Belisol and Geox–TMC expressed their interest to secure his service for season 2012, but Freire chose Team Katusha. He was reported to have been swayed by Team Katusha because the Russian team had a good number of other Spanish riders on its roster along with its well-organised structure and guaranteed entry into WorldTour races. Oscar Freire - 6851604642

By 2012 Freire fully recovered from his previous health problems and managed to show very good results at the first opening races. In January he won stage 3 of Australian Tour Down Under, and then completed his success at stage 3 of Vuelta a Andalucía. At the spring classics Óscar Freire finished 7th at

, while having taken two second places: one at E3 Harelbeke where he was edged on the line by Tom Boonen () and the other at the Brabantse Pijl, where he dominated the sprint of the chasers after lone escapee Thomas Voeckler of had crossed the line. He then went on to finish 4th in the Amstel Gold Race. He escaped from the lead group with to cover and held an advantage of 18 seconds at the bottom of the final climb, the Cauberg. He was passed in the final meters, but managed to hold on for fourth. In an interview to the French magazine ''Velochrono'', Freire claimed to take part in the Olympics in London along with the

and

UCI Road World Championships The UCI Road World Championships are the annual world championships for bicycle road racing organized by the (UCI). The UCI Road World Championships consist of events for road race and individual time trial, and , a UCI Road World Championships ...

. Freire later admitted that he was contemplating retirement if he didn't win the rainbow jersey, and that he would keep riding for another year or two if he wins the 2012 UCI Championships. He retired from professional cycling at the end of 2012, reportedly refusing a deal from , who would have liked him to race for the 2013 season and then take a post in management. The Basque team was suspected of trying to hoard in Freire's crucial

UCI World Tour The UCI WorldTour is the premier men's elite road cycling tour, sitting above the UCI ProSeries and various regional UCI Continental Circuits. It refers to both the tour of 38 events and, until 2019, an annual ranking system based upon perfor ...

points, which would help them get a World Tour license for 2013, but the team management denied it. In retirement he went to live, with his family, in Switzerland.

Personal life

His son Marcos Freire is also a professional cyclist.

Career achievements

Major results

;1997 : 2nd Silver medal uci

Road race, UCI Road World Under-23 Championships ;1998 (1 pro win) : 1st Stage 1 Vuelta a Castilla y León : 3rd Road race, National Road Championships : 3rd Clásica de Almería : 3rd

Circuito de Getxo The Circuito de Getxo () is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in July in Getxo Getxo () (Spanish: ''Guecho'') is a town located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basq ...

: 4th GP Villafranca de Ordizia : 5th Giro della Romagna ;1999 (1) : 1st Road race,

;2000 (10) :

Vuelta a Mallorca The Challenge Vuelta Ciclista a Mallorca (, ) is a series of four (five until 2012) professional one day road bicycle races held on the Spanish island of Mallorca in late January or early February. The event is used as an early season preparato ...

::1st Trofeo Palma ::4th Trofeo Sóller :

::1st Stages 2 & 4 ::Held after Stages 4–7 :

::1st Stages 1 & 6 : 1st Stage 3 Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana : 1st Stage 3 Giro della Provincia di Lucca : 2nd Trofeo Luis Puig : 3rd Bronze medal uci

Road race,

: 3rd Overall Escalada a Montjuïc ::1st Stage 1a : 3rd

: 5th Clásica de San Sebastián : 6th

Züri-Metzgete Züri-Metzgete (Zürich German; ; ) was a European Classic cycle races, Classic cycle race held annually in Zürich, Switzerland, and continued as a non-professional mass participation event from 2007 until 2014. It was a race with a long history ...

: 8th Overall Vuelta a Aragón ::1st Points classification ::1st Stages 3 & 4 : 8th

Lancaster Classic The Tom Bamford Lancaster Classic was a professional road bicycle race held in late May or early June between 1992 and 2007 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. With the exception of the first race, which was , the Lancaster Classic covered about . ...

: 9th Amstel Gold Race ;2001 (3) : 1st Road race,

: Vuelta a Burgos ::1st Points classification ::1st Stage 5 : 1st Stage 4 Deutschland Tour : 2nd

;2002 (3) :

::1st Trofeo Manacor ::1st Trofeo Sóller : 1st Stage 2

: 3rd Overall

: 4th Rund um den Henninger Turm : 5th

: 5th Amstel Gold Race ;2003 (7) : 1st Overall Giro della Provincia di Lucca ::1st Stage 1 & 2 : Vuelta a Andalucía ::1st Points classification ::1st Stage 1 & 2 : 1st Stage 7

: 1st Stage 5

Volta a Catalunya The Volta a Catalunya (; Tour of Catalonia, ) is a road bicycle race held annually in Catalonia, Spain. It is one of three World Tour stage races in Spain, together with the Vuelta a España and the Tour of the Basque Country. The race has had ...

: 2nd Brabantse Pijl : 4th Rund um den Henninger Turm :

::4th Trofeo Manacor ::6th Trofeo Sóller : 5th Gran Premio Bruno Beghelli : 6th

Paris–Brussels The Brussels Cycling Classic (known until June 2013 as Paris–Brussels) is a semi classic European bicycle race, one of the oldest races on the international calendar. History Paris–Brussels was first run on 12 August 1893 as an amateur eve ...

: 7th

: 8th Overall Ronde van Nederland : 9th Road race,

;2004 (6) : 1st Road race,

: 1st

: 1st Trofeo Luis Puig :

::1st Trofeo Alcúdia ::2nd Trofeo Palma ::3rd Trofeo Calvià : 1st Stage 6

: 1st Points classification,

Tour de Luxembourg The Tour de Luxembourg is an annual stage race in professional road bicycle racing held in Luxembourg. The Tour de Luxembourg is classified as a UCI race classifications, 2.Pro race, the highest rating below the UCI World Tour, World Tour, by the ...

: 2nd Overall

::1st Stage 3 : 4th

HEW Cyclassics The Hamburg Cyclassics (currently known as the Bemer Cyclassics for sponsorship purposes) is an annual one-day professional and amateur road bicycle race, cycling race in and around Hamburg, Germany. Although the route varies, its distance is alw ...

: 9th Overall Sachsen Tour : 9th

;2005 (6) : 1st Overall

::1st Points classification ::1st Stages 2, 3 & 4 : 1st Brabantse Pijl :

::1st Trofeo Alcúdia ::1st Trofeo Palma : 3rd Trofeo Luis Puig : 5th

: 5th

La Flèche Wallonne La Flèche Wallonne (, French for "The Walloon Arrow") is a men's professional cycle road race held in April each year in Wallonia, Belgium. It is part of the UCI World Tour. The first of two Belgian Ardennes classics, La Flèche Wallonne is ...

;2006 (7) : 1st Brabantse Pijl : 1st Vattenfall Cyclassics : 1st RaboRonde Heerlen :

::1st Stages 5 & 9 : 1st Stage 7 Tour de Suisse : 1st Stage 4 Tour of the Basque Country : 1st Stage 3

: 6th

;2007 (9) : 1st Overall Vuelta a Andalucía ::1st Points classification ::1st Stages 2 & 5 : 1st

: 1st Brabantse Pijl :

::1st Trofeo Palma ::10th Trofeo Calvià :

::1st Stages 2, 5 & 6 ::Held after Stages 2–3 ::Held Jersey granate

after Stages 2–9 : 2nd Vattenfall Cyclassics : 3rd

Gent–Wevelgem Gent–Wevelgem, officially Gent–Wevelgem – In Flanders Fields, is a road bicycle racing, road cycling race in Belgium, held annually since 1934. It is one of the classic cycle races, classic races part of the Flemish Cycling Week, run in late ...

: 3rd

: 8th Amstel Gold Race ;2008 (6) : 1st

::1st Points classification ::1st Stage 14 :

::1st Points classification ::1st Stages 1, 4 & 6 : 1st Stage 11

: 1st Stage 1 Tour de Suisse : 2nd Clásica de Almería : 8th

;2009 (2) :

Tour de Romandie The Tour de Romandie is a stage race which is part of the UCI World Tour. It runs through the Romandie region, or French-speaking part of Switzerland. The competition began in 1947, to coincide with the 50-year anniversary of Swiss Cycling. It ...

::1st Stages 2 & 5 : 5th

;2010 (7) : 1st

: 1st

::1st Trofeo Calla Millor ::3rd Trofeo Palma : Tour of the Basque Country ::1st Stages 1 & 2 : Vuelta a Andalucía ::1st Points classification ::1st Stages 2 & 3 : 6th Road race,

: 8th Overall Tour of Belgium : 9th Brabantse Pijl ;2011 (2) : Vuelta a Andalucía ::1st Points classification ::1st Stages 3 & 4 : 1st Stage 1 ( TTT)

::2nd Trofeo Magaluf-Palmanova : 6th Amstel Gold Race : 7th Grand Prix de Wallonie : 9th Road race,

;2012 (2) : 1st Stage 4 Tour Down Under : 1st Stage 3 Vuelta a Andalucía : 2nd E3 Harelbeke : 2nd Brabantse Pijl : 3rd

: 4th

: 4th Amstel Gold Race : 7th

: 10th Road race,

General classification results timeline

Classics results timeline

Major championships results timeline

References

External links

Official Site

Profile on Katusha website
*
Oscar Freire's Profile on Cycling Base
{{DEFAULTSORT:Freire, Oscar Cyclists from Cantabria Cyclists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Cyclists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Cyclists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Olympic cyclists for Spain Spanish male cyclists Spanish Tour de France stage winners UCI Road World Champions (elite men) 1976 births Living people Sportspeople from Torrelavega Spanish Vuelta a España stage winners Tour de Suisse stage winners Tetuán Walk of Fame