Farewell Oscar

iainf72
iainf72 Posts: 15,784
edited March 2013 in Pro race
Friere's final race today.

I always found him a really fascinating rider. I will miss not seeing him at all until the final 250m of a race. And some of his crazy moves over the years.
Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
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Comments

  • Tom BB
    Tom BB Posts: 1,001
    Yup. Great rider.
  • celestecharlie
    celestecharlie Posts: 51
    Agreed. As one of his DSs once said: 'The guy's a 10/10 on the bike and a 1/10 off it.'
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    iainf72 wrote:
    I always found him a really fascinating rider.
    Absolutely. Always unorthodox, but somehow it worked. He's always seemed like someone who was just 'winging it' on immense natural talent.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Turfle
    Turfle Posts: 3,762
    Farewell Oscar. Had a heck of a career. I can't say I ever particularly warmed to him, but you've got to respect that palmares.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    freire.jpg
    _
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    One of my favourite riders. A great, instinctive finisher, could read a race like nobody else and, to cap it all my dope of a dog is named for him.
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • celestecharlie
    celestecharlie Posts: 51
    Ah - I do him an injustice!
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    edited September 2012
    Not a rider I necessarily looked out for or was my type. However anyone who has that length of service is to be highly commended. His palmares is superb also. Everything I have read points to him being a very nice guy.

    It was nice to see today, after he crashed reasonably heavily in the early stages, to get going without any fuss, then proceed to put the idiot UCI man in his place, who was hanging out the sunroof and angrily telling him not to draft the cars, then going into the peloton and putting the rider, who caused the crash, in his place too. Then being there at the end and in with a shout of making history with 4 WC.

    Earlier this year (Amstel maybe?) he attacked solo from a little way out. I couldn't believe my eyes. I think he was having fun!

    I haven't saved many photos of him as he won most before I started gathering photos and hardly ever showed his face.

    ONEV8733-Edit.jpg
    Tdr_Stage_5_Sprint_for_Line.jpg
    msr10-yahoo.jpg
    tdf09st06-wide.jpg
    Contador is the Greatest
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    The interview that photo comes from was majestic. Trying to take a shopping trolley on an airport style moving floor... the wrong way.
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    Picking Zabel's pocket for his last msr was an example to kids everywhere yoo
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    Perhaps, if I'd have to pick, my favourite rider of the past 10 or so years - never predictable, with moments of absolute tactical genius.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-araCVvDmWU

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKcLJFhpkI4
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    FJS wrote:
    Perhaps, if I'd have to pick, my favourite rider of the past 10 or so years - never predictable, with moments of absolute tactical genius.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-araCVvDmWU

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKcLJFhpkI4

    Spent his prize money from the Worlds on an elevator for his grandmother's apartment.

    He also holds the Ruban Jaune:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruban_Jaune

    And would have continued for another year had he won today.

    All from wiki.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    Wasnt even a lift... was a stairlift.

    He once went to the start of a stage of TA without his shoes or his leaders jersey
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    frenchfighter wrote:
    Not a rider I necessarily looked out for or was my type.
    I find that strange. I would have thought he would be right up your street. He certainly had 'panache', he was attacking and he was just about the last person you would see chained to a power meter. This was a man who once lauched a successful attack by bunny hopping a central reservation.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Too much of a recluse on and off the bike to really get an imaginary fan-bond with him.

    Rate(d) him an awful lot though.

    And yes, when he gets into a smaller group he's always exciting.
    _
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,548
    A very classy rider who never got the recognition his results deserved.

    I was in Verona in 2004 and it was entertaining to watch the Italian crowd getting ever more animated over the closing laps as they realised what was about to happen. We hardly saw him all race then, with a few hundred metres to go, up he pops.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCL6PWRupGA

    Has there ever been a better sprinter with 250+ kms in his legs?
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 19,434
    I didn't watch cycling from 2000 to the last year or 2 so have missed his entire career.

    Impressive palmares though. Has anyone else of his generation been able to combine Grand Tour wins with the monuments/ major one day races?
    Grand Tours

    Tour de France

    Points classification (2008)
    4 individual stages

    Vuelta a España

    7 individual stages

    Stage Races

    Tirreno–Adriatico (2005)

    Single-Day Races and Classics

    World Road Race Championship (1999, 2001, 2004)
    Milan - San Remo (2004, 2007, 2010)
    Ghent-Wevelgem (2008)
    Vattenfall Cyclassics (2006)
    Paris-Tours (2010)
    Brabantse Pijl (2005, 2006, 2007)
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Boonen comes close.

    He won quite a few GT stages when he was younger.
    _
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Boonen comes close.

    He won quite a few GT stages when he was younger.
    That's very restrained of you. Tom is a notch above Oscar IMO.

    There's also Bettini.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Le Commentateur
    Le Commentateur Posts: 4,099
    5.jpg

    This marked the end of the Zabel era. I think Cav did similar to Boonen in some race a few years ago.
    Un uomo solo al commando
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    Le Commentateur wrote:
    I think Cav did similar to Boonen in some race a few years ago.
    I think it was his first pro victory.

    bettiniphoto_0026326_1_full_600.jpg
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • MrTapir
    MrTapir Posts: 1,206
    I'd like to imagine BOonen's team mate is doing the Wilhelm scream there.
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    RichN95 wrote:
    I think it was his first pro victory.

    Can't be. That was the '08 Scheldeprijs, he won the same race, beating Robbie McEwen the year before.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    MrTapir wrote:
    I'd like to imagine BOonen's team mate is doing the Wilhelm scream there.

    That's Weylandt I believe.
    _
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    MrTapir wrote:
    I'd like to imagine BOonen's team mate is doing the Wilhelm scream there.

    That's Weylandt I believe.

    He's pulling that face because he can't believe how big Cavendish's arse is.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    greasedscotsman wrote:
    RichN95 wrote:
    I think it was his first pro victory.

    Can't be. That was the '08 Scheldeprijs, he won the same race, beating Robbie McEwen the year before.
    You're right. I had the right race but the wrong year. He would have been in T-Mobile kit of course.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    RichN95 wrote:
    You're right. I had the right race but the wrong year. He would have been in T-Mobile kit of course.

    Looks very, err, magenta!

    Cavendish_SP702-vi.jpg
  • jerry3571
    jerry3571 Posts: 1,532
    andyp wrote:
    A very classy rider who never got the recognition his results deserved.

    I was in Verona in 2004 and it was entertaining to watch the Italian crowd getting ever more animated over the closing laps as they realised what was about to happen. We hardly saw him all race then, with a few hundred metres to go, up he pops.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCL6PWRupGA

    Has there ever been a better sprinter with 250+ kms in his legs?

    I was there too on a stag weekend, lots of Volpolicella wine. I remember Freire coming up on stage to a luke warm response from an Italian crowd on the Sunday evening. We were having Pizza next to the Arena and there pops up Oscar.
    I think his first 1999 Worlds win came in Verona and Freire went off early just before the sprint and all the big cheeses were looking at eachother and everyone thinking who the hell was that! Happy days when I had hair. ;)

    Jerry
    “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”- Albert Einstein

    "You can't ride the Tour de France on mineral water."
    -Jacques Anquetil
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    I remember going to the start of Gent Wevelgem in '07 and he was introduced to the crowd, along with Juan Antonio Flecha, to this tune...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7aPp-4z-uw
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/gal ... rospective
    Contador is the Greatest

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