Urs Freuler

Personal information

Full nameUrs Freuler

Born(1958-11-06)6 November 1958(age 67) Bilten, Switzerland

Team information

Current teamRetired

DisciplineTrack and Road

RoleRider

Rider typeSprinter, Time Trial Specialist

Major wins

Grand Tours Tour de France 1 individual stage (1981) Giro d'Italia Points Classification (1984) 15 individual stages (1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989) World Champion Points race (1981 - 1987, 1989) World Champion Keirin (1983, 1985)

Medal record Men's track cycling Representing Switzerland World Championships 1981 Brno Points race 1982 Leicester Points race 1983 Zürich Keirin 1983 Zürich Points race 1984 Barcelona Points race 1985 Bassano del Grappa Keirin 1985 Bassano del Grappa Points race 1986 Colorado Springs Points race 1987 Vienna Points race 1989 Lyon Points race 1984 Barcelona Keirin 1986 Colorado Springs Keirin 1987 Vienna Keirin Amateur World Championships 1978 Munich Team pursuit 1979 Amsterdam Points race

Men's track cycling

Representing Switzerland

World Championships

1981 Brno · Points race

1982 Leicester · Points race

1983 Zürich · Keirin

1983 Zürich · Points race

1984 Barcelona · Points race

1985 Bassano del Grappa · Keirin

1985 Bassano del Grappa · Points race

1986 Colorado Springs · Points race

1987 Vienna · Points race

1989 Lyon · Points race

1984 Barcelona · Keirin

1986 Colorado Springs · Keirin

1987 Vienna · Keirin

Amateur World Championships

1978 Munich · Team pursuit

1979 Amsterdam · Points race

Urs Freuler (born 6 November 1958) is a Swiss cyclist, who raced professionally between 1980 and 1997, during which he won 124 victories. He was named Swiss Sports Personality of the Year in 1982 and 1983.

Career

He was born in Bilten. As an amateur, he was the champion of his country in several categories and also achieved fame in international competitions.

He was a racer of great speed, who participated both in road races as well as track cycling. In the latter, he was the world champion in the keirin twice and the points race eight times and victor in 21 six-day races. On the road, he was victorious in numerous stages and criteriums. He competed in the team pursuit event at the 1980 Summer Olympics.

In 1981, Freuler was riding for a personal sponsor, when the TI–Raleighcycling team had problems to form a team for the 1981 Tour de France. The rules allowed for the Raleigh team to hire cyclists who were not riding for a cycling team, and Freuler was added to the Tour squad. Because Freuler, as a still young professional and with contracts for a full winter season of Six Days coming up, his team leader Peter Post and Freuler agreed that Freuler, although capable of taking on mountain stages, had to leave the race before the Alps would be visited. Freuler, who acted as a replacement for sprinter Jan Raas, was able to win with TI–Raleighthe two team time trials and stage 7, and left the race in stage 15. After that he never started in the Tour again.

Freuler, for the chief part of his career riding for Italian teams, did win in another of the three Grand Tours, the Giro d'Italia, from 1982 to 1989. In 1982 he won three stages, in 1984 he won four stages and in 1985 he once again claimed three stage victories. In total he won 15 stages in the Giro and also claimed the points classification in 1984.

Personal life

Urs is distantly related to the Swiss footballer Remo Freuler.

Major results

Track

World champion of points race in 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, and 1989
World champion of Keirin in 1983 and 1985
European champion of sprint in 1981
21 six-day races from 1981 to 1994, with Patrick Sercu, Robert Dill-Bundi, Hans Känel, René Pijnen, Daniel Gisiger, Horst Schütz, Dietrich Thurau, Roman Hermann, Danny Clark, Olaf Ludwig, Remig Stumpf and lastly Carsten Wolf in 1994.
Swiss champion in 1 km time trial in 1981, 1983, 1986, and 1987
Swiss champion of points race in 1981, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1992
Swiss champion of individual pursuit in 1985