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Freire takes Tour de Suisse opener
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Three-time world champion Oscar Freire sprinted to victory in the first stage of the Tour de Suisse, out-charging the field at the end of 146-kilometer race that started and finished in Langnau im Emmental.
Freire pulled on the race leader's jersey at the end of the stage after beating Switzerland's Martin Elmiger at the finish line.
In the general classification Freire has a four-second lead on Elmiger (Ag2r)and another local, Lampre’s David Loosli.
Loosli had been part of a three-man group that broke free of the peloton after just 26km of racing and went on to build a maximum lead of eight minutes with 50km to race.
Their 120km raid over undulating terrain ended, however, just a kilometer-and-a-half from the finish line after Freire's Rabobank team took over the
lead of the pursuit.
