Freire 'upset' after Gent-Wevelgem

Rabobank's Oscar Freire may have been calm and gracious in praising Marcus Burghardt's victory over him in Gent-Wevelgem, but he is also "a great actor, besides being a great sportsman," according to his team Rabobank.

"I went to the doping test with Oscar," said directeur sportif Erik Dekker. "I have never seen him as upset. It was actually touching to see and it is also a confirmation that he is a very different sportsman than most fans think."

Even though Freire took the white jersey of leading ProTour rider, he was disappointed that he could not make his victory plans come true at the finish in Wevelgem. "He knows Ventoso very well and they had agreed to fight for the victory," Dekker continued. "But it was too late as he could not close the gap to Burghardt."

Dekker didn't know what the solution to the Kemmelberg problem was. "I find it hard to tell whether or not it should be in. The Kemmelberg was part of it thirty years ago, so nothing has really changed. And if water bottles cause crashes, it's the pack's fault as well. But to me it is incomprehensible and bizarre that this happened when it was not raining," the former pro added.