Freire ready for spring-time Worlds

Oscar Freire looks to Sanremo double (Image credit: Sirotti)

Spaniard Oscar Freire is a man that can never be counted out of any one-day race, especially La Primavera, Milano-Sanremo (or Milan-San Remo). The 31 year-old Rabobank rider has always been in the mix in the race's finale on the Via Roma. He won in 2004 but that victory was backed by many important placings in the Italian dominated event; third in 2000, fifth in 2002, seventh in 2003, fifth in 2005 and sixth last year.

"I started my career by racing three years with Mapei and there were a lot of Italians on the team that always talked of Sanremo," said the likable rider to La Gazzetta dello Sport on Thursday. "This was one of the reasons I developed my love for the race. It is the Worlds of the spring. To define it in one word? 'Difficult.' But, 'La Classicissima,' like they call it in Italian, is a race I like a lot."