SINGAPORE — This weekend’s Tour de France Prudential Singapore Criterium won’t be short of star-studded quality as the final slate of riders have been confirmed with three of the four classification winners of this year’s Tour de France, and winners of six of the last 10 editions of the Tour joining in the race on Oct 29 at Suntec City.
Green jersey winner Jasper Philipsen, Tour de France champions Chris Froome (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017) and Egan Bernal (2019), will be joined by three-time world champion Peter Sagan and recent Vuelta a Espana winner Sepp Kuss will line up on the Suntec City street circuit.
They will be joined by world number one and Tour de France champion in 2020 and 2021 Tadej Pogacar, 2023 Tour Polka Dot Jersey winner Giulio Ciccone and cycling legend Mark Cavendish – who jointly holds the most Tour de France stage wins (34) – as the leading lights for the second edition of the Tour de France Prudential Singapore Criterium. Philipsen will be part of the Alpecin Deceuninck team, while Froome will represent the Legend cycling team alongside Sagan, Ciccone and Cavendish.
Philipsen is one of the most in-form riders this season. The 25-year-old Belgian is in the form of his life, registering 14 first-place finishes this season including wins at the Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen and Classic Brugge-De Panne. He is currently ranked 8th in the UCI world rankings.
“It is truly an honour to be involved in this exciting race with so many great riders. It is not everyday that we get to race on a downtown circuit, so the Suntec City circuit will be an interesting one, with a lot of speed and power. It will be a treat for the fans and I can’t wait to take to the streets of Singapore for the Tour de France Prudential Singapore Criterium,” said green jersey winner Philipsen.
Froome, who finished second at last year’s inaugural Tour de France Prudential Singapore Criterium, will be back to see if he can go one better. The 38-year-old cyclist will be part of the four-man Legend Team of Sagan, Cavendish and Giulio Ciccone, this year’s Tour de France King of the Mountains.
“I had a great race in Singapore last year. It was a great experience for both the fans and the riders and I am looking forward to being back and going one better,” mentioned four-time Tour de France champion Froome (pic above).
Kuss who will be representing the Jumbo Visma team will be in Singapore fresh from being the first American man to win one of cycling’s Grand Tours in a decade after his Vuelta a Espana victory this year. But he will not be the only in-form rider coming into the Tour de France Prudential Singapore Criterium. Cycling enthusiasts will be able to witness two stars from the 2023 UEC Road European Championships, Josh Tarling and Christophe Laporte. Tarling came up tops in the elite men’s individual time trial while Laporte rode to victory in the elite men’s road race.
The Tour de France Prudential Singapore Criterium field will feature 44 riders, consisting of seven of the world’s best international teams of four riders each, alongside three regional teams and the Singapore national team.
“The inaugural race was a big success, but we were adamant that we wanted to make our second race bigger and better. I am glad that with our partners the Amaury Sport Organisation, we managed to secure the who’s who of the cycling world. The Tour de France Prudential Singapore Criterium will be a showcase of the world’s best cycling on an iconic Suntec City street circuit in downtown Singapore. It promises to be truly a sporting and entertainment spectacle,” said Agnes Goh, managing director of race organisers EVOKE EXP.
Apart from the professional criterium, there are other races organised during the Tour de France Prudential Singapore Criterium such as the CEO Breakfast Ride, a Charity Ride, Criterium Men’s Novice, a Men’s and Women’s Open. The professional criterium will begin with the time trial on Sunday, Oct 29 at 3.30pm, with the pro-criterium taking place an hour later. The professional criterium podium ceremony is scheduled to take place at Suntec City’s iconic Fountain of Wealth after the race.