Oscar Freire to attempt his fourth World Championships gold medal – Cycling News
Three times Elite Men’s Road Race winner Oscar Freire is all set to win his fourth gold medal at the Copenhagen World Championships 2011. Earlier this week Freire announced that he will retire from professional cycling if he fails to win the Championships
as his contract with team Rabobank is due to expire by the end of this season.
Freire is undoubtedly one of the best sprinters in the sport and he believes that the 266 kilometre road race at Rudersdal will end out on a sprint and he has strong chances of making his way to the rainbow jersey. His biggest concern is the Northern European
weather as he believes that the Danish weather conditions do not suit the Spanish riders.
He told DHnet about the racing conditions as he said, “I took part in the Tour of Denmark this year to check out the road race course, I saw that it was easy. There’s only one climb, and that the finishing straight. So it could be a sprint finish.”
Freire has won the gold medal in 1999, 2001 and 2004 at the Elite Men’s Road Race followed by a bronze medal in 2000 and silver in 1997 San Sebastian. His performance in 2011 has been outstanding as he has won the points classifications at the Vuelta a Andalucia
along with the stage 3 and stage 4 win.
Freire is leading the Spanish team at the Championships as he is accompanied by Carlos Barredo, Luis Leon Sanchez, Koldo Fernandez de Larrea, Pablo Lastras, Juan Manuel Garate, Imanol Erviti, Jose Joaquin Rojas, Egoi Martinez, Juan Antonio Flecha, Vicente
Reynes and Luis Angel Mate.
Oscar has just recovered from a cold which made him abandon the Vuelta a Espana 2011 and that is the reason he is concerned about the weather conditions at the ongoing World Championships.
The 35-year-old is hopeful to win the event and continue his dominance at the rainbow jersey as he said, "To have the rainbow jersey another year would really be very beautiful, I'm not going to say it's a dream, but I am very motivated for this perspective."
He is currently at the 91st position with 38 points in the UCI World Tour Individual rankings as Alberto Contador is the top Spanish rider who has secured the third spot on the rankings. Spanish team is the top team as per the latest UCI World Tour
Nations rankings with Belgium second, Italy, Australia and Great Britain are at third, fourth and fifth positions respectively.
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