After a dramatic few days where the cycling community was concerned for former pro Óscar Freire, he was located and returned home.
The 48-year-old former world champion went missing, prompting his family to file a report with Spanish authorities. The three-time world champion had not been seen since Monday.
According to El Diario Montañés, Freire left his home that day without taking his keys or wallet. At first, this wasn’t alarming, as he often went for walks without carrying his documents.
As time passed without any word from him, concern grew, prompting his family to officially report his disappearance on Wednesday to the Guardia Civil, one of Spain’s national law enforcement agencies. Authorities then launched an investigation to locate Freire.
In the afternoon, his car was found, and later, Freire himself called his family to inform them he was returning home. This call enabled law enforcement to trace its origin. That brought the incident to a close, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“We regret the concern that the news of the temporary disappearance of Oscar Freire may have caused, and at the same time, we are grateful for the interest shown by the fans and the press in general,” a statement from the family read. The former pro said the incident had to do with “a personal and intimate issue.”
Freire was a professional cyclist from 1998 to 2012.
The 49-year-old Spanish rider won the points classification at the 2008 Tour de France and four individual stages (2002, 2006, 2008). He claimed seven stage wins in the Vuelta a España (2000, 2004, 2007, 2008). In stage races, he won Tirreno–Adriatico in 2005. He was a three-time world road race champion (1999, 2001, 2004) and won Milan–San Remo three times (2004, 2007, 2010). His other one-day race victories include Gent–Wevelgem (2008), Vattenfall Cyclassics (2006), Paris–Tours (2010), and Brabantse Pijl (2005, 2006, 2007).
In his long career, he rode for several professional teams. He started with Vitalicio Seguros before moving to Mapei – Quickstep. He then spent a significant period with Rabobank, with his final season being with Team Katusha.
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