Tour De France Singapore Criterium to be held from Oct 29 to 30

Singapore will play host to the latest Tour De France Criterium to be held from Oct 29 to 30. 

Titled the Tour de France Singapore Criterium, the race line-up will feature star cyclists including four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome, cycling brothers Antonio and Vincenzo Nibali and Spanish cyclist Alejandro Valverde, winner of the 2018 UCI Road World Championships.

To the uninitiated, a criterium is a high-speed bike race consisting of several laps around a closed circuit. In teams, riders do a predetermined number of laps or race for a fixed period of time. 

The race is won by classification at the finish of the last lap or by classification based on the number of laps covered and the number of points obtained during the intermediate sprints.

The first day will feature a live performance by orchestra Synthony making their Asian debut. They will be performing alongside Singapore’s own professional symphony orchestra, the Metropolitan Festival Orchestra.

Cycling enthusiasts can join the Amateur Criterium that will take place on the second day. 

The race will run along the Marina Bay loop and comprises three categories: Men’s Seniors, Men’s Masters and Women’s Open. 

The Men’s Seniors category is open to those aged between 19 and 34 years old and spans 24.8km. The Men’s Masters is open to those aged 35 and above and spans 18.6km. The Women’s Open is for women aged 19 and above and spans 12.4km. 

The Amateur Criterium is a Singapore Cycling Federation (SCF) sanctioned Class 2 event. The top 10 finishers in each of the three categories are eligible to accumulate SCF GC ranking points, the SCF’s National Ranking points system for sanctioned events.

Those interested may choose to register for races or purchase tickets and attend as a spectator. Sunday tickets for spectators go for $68, tickets for Synthony start at $88 and the two-day pass starts at $118.

The registration fee for all three Amateur Criterium categories goes for $220, where participants will receive entitlements such as a two-day pass to the Tour de France Prudential Singapore Criterium and an event jersey.

The two-day pass grants holders access to activities and entertainment options during race weekend.