Oscar Freire could remain at Rabobank for another season, according to EldiarioMontanes.es, ending a period of uncertainty for the former world champion. In what could be his last season as a professional, the Spanish website reports that Freire has reached a verbal agreement with the management team of Rabobank but is yet to put pen to paper.
Other teams who were said to be interested in the accomplished cyclist were Geox-TMC and Movistar, but the 35 year old has reportedly opted to remain with the Dutch team for the tenth consecutive season.
After again being hampered by sinus issues, 2011 has been a quiet season by Freire’s standards with only two individual victories to date. He won stage four and five of the Ruta Del Sol in February and was part of the team who won the team time trial in Tirreno – Adriatico.
Freire recently finished ninth in the world road race championships in Copenhagen, an event he’s won three times in the past (1999, 2001 and 2004). Another triple crown on his career results is winning Milan-San Remo three times in 2004, 2007 and 2010. He has also won four stages and the points classification at the Tour de France along with seven stages in the Vuelta a España.
His future remained uncertain in the closing weeks of the 2011 season with murmurs of retirement being heard. However, it seems it has now been refuted with the 2012 Olympic Games being a factor in his decision to continue.
The sprinter will line up in Paris-Tours this weekend as the defending champion. He won the race last year after a host of top five placings in past years.