Tour de France Prudential Singapore Criterium: Singapore will be the first ASEAN country to host this Cycling race sport in October 2022

The Tour de France brand is buzzing in Southeast Asia, and Singapore will be the principal ASEAN country to have one of its post-tour criterium events.

The Tour de France Prudential Singapore Criterium will happen on Oct 29 and 30 on a uniquely planned street circuit in the core of the city.

Decorated British cyclist Mark Cavendish, an Olympic silver medallist and four-time world champion who holds the joint record for the most Tour de France stage wins (34), headlines 32 riders from eight of the world’s best proficient cycling teams that will feature here.

It will be the initial time the 37-year-old will cycle in the region, and the sprint great said: “Cycling has given me so much and is a great part of my life. It’s a privilege for me to do what I love and I’m looking forward to getting out there and sharing the adrenaline, excitement, and fun that comes with criterium racing.”

The Tour de France is an every year men’s race mostly held in France for more than 21 stages and 23 days, normally in July, and covers around 3,500km.

In comparison, its criteriums are more limited events that are additionally held in different countries. In these events, riders do a pre-decided number of laps or race for 30 to 90 minutes around a shut circuit. The length of each lap goes from 800m to 10km.

Riders from each team will work together to set up their teammates to win, and the race is won either through classification toward the completion of the last lap or classification in view of the number of laps covered and the number of focuses acquired during the moderate sprints.

The Tour de France Prudential Singapore Criterium race end of the week will involve races for the two professionals and amateurs and is supposed to arrive at millions of viewers through a variety of international broadcasters.

Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme said its criterium events permit cycling to be brought to unfamiliar regions, and Singapore was a “natural choice” due to its location, organizational capacity, and energetic cycling local area.

He added: “The Tour de France Criterium is a cycling performance, showcasing the speed and intensity of cycling through a race on an inner-city circuit.

“The criterium format allows us to bring an adaptation of the Tour to more places, while still retaining the essence and spirit of the Tour de France with top riders in the heart of the city.”

Prudential Singapore chief executive officer Dennis Tan said it came on board as the title sponsorship since cycling is an available and maintainable sport.

He added: “As a leading life insurer, we want to support Singaporeans in leading healthier lifestyles, so we can all live well for longer. This sponsorship is a great opportunity to encourage people and families from all walks of life to bond while staying healthy and active.”

The event is upheld by the Singapore Tourism Board and advanced by TEG Sport in conjunction with Evoke EXP.

TEG group chief executive officer Geoff Jones invited cycling devotees on board while Singapore Tourism Board chief executive officer Keith Tan felt the “premier sporting event reinforces Singapore’s position as a leading destination for sports in the region”.

He said: “Cycling is an environmentally-friendly sport that is popular with locals and visitors, and events like this strongly align with Singapore’s sustainability goals, as well as our ambition to be an urban wellness haven.”