Freire says Worlds course finish good for him

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Oscar Freire is optimisitic about his chances for a fourth world title. He rode the Melbourne course this weekend for the first time.
“The finish is good for me,” he said in a statement issued by the Spanish cycling federation. “All of the Worlds courses have their difficulties, and this one is different from that of lsrt year.”

He said the Australian course is “going to be faster, with more chances of recovery and is unlikely to see an attack by a solo rider, but that depends on the wind.”

Like Freire, Garate said that the wind could play a significant role, “The wind can be decisive, because if it blows from the front on steep slopes will be impossible for anyone to go out alone, but if it comes from the back, it can be very dangerous."

Freire, 34, got his 2010 season off to a great start, with five wins in addition to his third victory at Milano-Sanremo. Things went downhill for him after early April, as his highest finish in the Tour de France was fifth in the closing stage. After the Tour he underwent surgery on his nose and sinuses, and returned to the Vuelta a Espana, which he abandoned on the 15th stage.