Alberto Bettiol lead the Italians and Iván Cortina García heads up Spain as both nations race Sunday in the unfamiliar role as outsiders in the elite men's road race.
Freire has the final word after Zabel prematurely uncorks the San Remo bubbly in 2004.
Some say it's unfair to allow WorldTour-level riders to race in the U23 category, while three-time world champion Óscar Freire says the EPO Era undermined his career.
Reigning champ Valverde promises to go down swinging, but this worlds likely marks end of glorious era that dates back to 1999
VeloNews caught up with the three-time road world champion and chatted about a variety of topics.
What if history's greatest sprinters got together for seven or eight hot stages in July? Since they can’t, we picked our 10 favorites
Rasmussen backtracks on statements over Freire, Flecha
Three-time world champion threatens to sue Rasmussen after the former yellow jersey claims 100 percent of 2007 Rabobank Tour team doped
Retirements and the nation’s financial crisis are having a devastating effect on the peloton
"There are clean riders, there were before and there are now," says Freire
Euskatel-Euskadi denies making an offer to Oscar Freire aimed at securing his haul of WorldTour points. Freire, for now, is firmly retired
Three-time world champion Oscar Freire, who last won a race in 2010, calls time on his 15-year cycling career
Where does Joaquim Rodriguez's win at Lombardia rank him among Spain's classics men?
Valverde saves Spanish pride, but Freire unhappy with teammates in final race
With Rodríguez, Valverde, Contador, Freire and Sánchez, will a wealth of options benefit the Spanish or destroy their chances in Limburg?
Samuel Sánchez will be last-minute decision, while Luis León Sánchez misses out
Freire KO’d for Olympics; Sánchez, Rojas waiting to see as Spanish media turns attention to Contador's Vuelta return
Giro d'Italia climber's jersey turns blue; Simon a punchy French hope; Freire believes he can win another world championship
Spaniard Óscar Freire figures all he needed was another 100 meters and he might have pulled the cat out of the Amstel Gold Race hat.
Freire escapes late, but Gasparotto pushes the favorites aside on the Cauberg to open Ardennes week
Andrew Hood runs down the chances of the four Spanish favorites for the Ardennes classics
Three-time world champ hopes to cap strong spring campaign with a win atop the Cauberg on Sunday
Freire has been on the doorstep of a win the classics this spring aboard his custom-painted Canyon machine
Oscar Freire (Katusha) dashed to his second victory of the 2012 season with a sprint win in Wednesday’s third stage at the Ruta del Sol in southern Spain
Holzer: 'With riders like Menchov and Freire, we are obliged to win'
Veteran Spanish sprinter Óscar Freire confirmed that 2012 will be his final season among the pro ranks
Three-time world champion Oscar Freire will make his debut with Russian squad Katusha in Australia's Tour Down Under in January, organizers said on Wednesday.
Three-time world champion Óscar Freire will race his final season as a professional with Katusha. The Spanish daily MARCA reported that Freire penned a deal with the Russian team yesterday.
Freire laments missed opportunity to make history.
COPENHAGEN (VN) — Óscar Freire says he won't lose any sleep if he doesn't win a record fourth world title this weekend in Copenhagen despite a course that favors the Spanish sprinter.
Rabobank's Oscar Freire, a sprinter, found himself in a rare solo break in stage five of the 2011 Amgen Tour of California. And he nearly took it all the way to the line.
CORDOBA, Spain (VN) – Óscar Freire (Rabobank) stayed clear of a finish-line crash at the end of stage 4 to charge to his first win on the 2011 season and claim his seventh career stage victory at the Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista del Sol.
Three-time world champion and Milan-San Remo winner Oscar Freire isn't ready to hang up his cleats quite yet.
Óscar Freire may call it quits once his deal with Rabobank ends.
Graham Watson captures Óscar Freire's victory at the 2010 Paris-Tours.
(Click headline for full results)
UPDATED: The Rabobank speedster out-kicks Angelo Furlan and Gert Steegmans.
From Gilbert to Cavendish, a look at the favorites for the elite men's road race.
Philippe Gilbert, Oscar Freire and Simon Gerrans all like their chances in Sunday's elite men's race.
Three-time world champion Oscar Freire is sounding confident after seeing this year's world’s course first-hand.
The three-time world champ wants a record-setting fourth rainbow jersey.
Illness forces Freire out of Giro
Spaniard Oscar Freire, winner of the 2010 Milan-San Remo, will lead Rabobank in the Giro d’Italia.
Oscar Freire (Rabobank) wins Stage 2 of the Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista del Sol.
Óscar Freire (Rabobank) was back in the winner’s circle Monday for the first time in nine months with victory in the second day of the Mallorca Challenge.
Óscar Freire wins the sprint to take the Trofeo Cala Millor.
Three-time world champion Oscar Freire will ride the Giro d'Italia for the first time in his career this May.