Spaniard says form has improved since the Vuelta a España
Milan-Sanremo victor Oscar Freire has the chance to make history on October 3rd, and now believes in the possibility of becoming the first rider ever to take four Elite road race titles.
The 34 year old didn’t show great form in the recent Vuelta a España but, after withdrawing after stage14 and giving himself the chance to recover, he said that he now feels more upbeat about his prospects.
“After a break, I now feel better than at the start of the Vuelta a España,” he told reporters at a press conference prior to flying to Australia. “When I left [the race], I started doing specific training and noticed that I had improved a lot. At least I’ve the chance now of doing something nobody else has achieved.”
Freire shocked the world of cycling when, as a practically unknown rider, he won his first world title in 1999 with a perfectly-timed attack in Verona. Strong results in the rainbow jersey confirmed his victory wasn’t a fluke; after netting third in 2000, he won again in Lisbon in 2001 and in Verona, once more, in 2004.
Lat year was a quiet one for the Rabobank rider but he returned to strong form in March when he won the Milan-San Remo Classic with an impressive sprint. Victories followed with a win in the Trofeo Calla Millor, two stages of the Vuelta a Andalucia and another two in the Vuelta al País Vasco.
He was off form in the Tour de France due to breathing difficulties; he had nasal polyps removed after the race, but was once again not feeling 100 percent in the Vuelta a España. His best placing there was sixth on stage 12 to Llieda.
If his form has indeed improved sufficiently, he could be a real dangerman. Apart from having one of the quickest sprints in cycling, a Freire in top condition can climb well on tough terrain. Both his victories in Verona were on a tough course which included plenty of climbing; if the race is thinned down and some of the pure sprinters are jettisoned, he could be the fastest of those who are left.
Italian team selector Paolo Bettini said in July that the course would break things up, and that Freire was a rider who could fare very well.
“It’s more like the course in Benidorm [Spain] in 1992, when [Gianni] Bugno won, when he made his sprint over not too many pure sprinters,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport in July. “Or, you know, like a the Amstel Gold race without the finish on the Cauberg.”
“It’s not a predictable course,” he continued, “it’s open to interpretation. The first 90km could be tiring, narrow roads with course asphalt and irregular edges that will make it difficult. The circuit doesn’t have many places to recover. It could be a sprint finish, but the winner will be a rider who knows how to race on a mixed course. Freire is the name that comes to mind.”
If the Spaniard does pull it off, he will move ahead of fellow three-time winners Eddy Merckx, Alfredo Binda and Rik Van Steenbergen.
His superb worlds record also includes bronze in 2000, as well as a silver medal in the 1997 under 23 championships.