‘It’s where dreams are born’ - Tour stars put on show at Prudential Singapore Criterium
'You see all the kids here with stars in their eyes, they are dreaming about it' says Chris Froome
Nothing in Singapore is free.
That’s what the driver who collected me from Changi Airport said as we travelled down a freeway with lanes separated by ornate flower beds that can apparently be removed should the country ever need an extra airstrip.
I would learn that he was partly right.
This trip was free for me and other invited media who travelled from, in my case Australia, and otherwise Europe, to be at the Tour de France Prudential Singapore Criterium.
The welcome champagne on arrival at the recently refurbished Mandarin Oriental – an opulent hotel with views of the sea and iconic Marina Bay Sands - was also gratis.
Singapore, as many of its friendly multicultural residents would later point out, doesn’t have natural resources. It recycles even water but the glass I asked for instead of bubbles during check-in came in a can with a moist towel.
What the small country with the second-highest population density in the world doesn’t have in natural resources it has more than made up for though, turning sea into land and building many high rises that now house big, global businesses, and a multicultural society that communicates in four common languages. Cargo ships are a permanent fixture of its coastline, symbolic of the economy and maritime heritage.
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The hawker centres – outdoor food courts serving chicken, rice, soups, juice, beer, fresh seafood and charcoal grilled meats – once bordered by sea now are surrounded by a pristine metropolis partly built on reclaimed land. Underground tunnels offer a reprieve from the tropical conditions, providing safe access under freeways to parks in some parts and connecting vast, air-conditioned shopping malls to hotels in others.
Everything is pristine. Littering, spitting and chewing gum are finable offences. On the train are signs in English advising that eating and drinking, smoking, carrying flammable goods and durians on public transport carry fines from 500 to 5000 Singapore dollars.
The iconic Marina Bay Sands, which costs locals some $150 to walk into, a deterrent to gambling, my driver had said, is free for foreigners to enter. It was a welcome after-party destination for riders incentivized to take part in Sunday’s showcase 60-kilometre criterium during their respective off-seasons.
Jasper Philipsen won ahead of Mark Cavendish and Tadej Pogačar, who delighted the large crowds gathered along the urban route, the Fortune of Wealth – the world’s largest water fountain built using Feng Shui principles - the backdrop to the start/finish line outside of the Suntec Convention Centre.
But the focus of the event was not the result, but rather showcasing cycling and ASO’s crown jewel, the Tour de France, to Singapore and Southeast Asia, and Singapore to tourists, from a trishaw race that pitted Tour veterans Cavendish, Peter Sagan and Chris Froome against the current guard of Philipsen, Pogačar and Giulio Ciccone, to its food, hotels, and attractions, including The Grande Whisky Museum that has a bottle of Laphroaig signed by King Charles and Queen Camilla.
“It’s a nice experience to come here and share some passion with this culture,” said Philipsen.
“I hope to see it get bigger because I think maybe 99 per cent of the people, they don’t know what it is, cycling, [whereas] Europe, or particularly in Belgium, maybe 80 per cent of the people know what we’re doing if you’re [a] professional cyclist.”
The peloton was small but noteworthy – comprised of the Tour’s stars past, present and emerging stars, mainstays and a handful of local cyclists. All finished the criterium held in overcast, humid conditions, dripping with sweat. They posed for selfies with fans and signed autographs before a formal podium presentation complete with flower bouquets – Philipsen throwing his to the crowd – and trophies, rounded out proceedings.
“I think it’s about showcasing what the sport has to offer, showcasing the Tour de France, inspiring the next generation of young cyclists over here in Singapore,” said four-time Tour winner Chris Froome.
“Events like this are really important. It’s where dreams are born. I just imagine, obviously growing up in Africa, if I had all the Tour de France stars coming over to my country, or where I’d grown up, it would be amazing to see them. You see all the kids here with stars in their eyes, they are dreaming about it, so it’s really cool to see.”
