It’s Tour de France fever as elite cyclists set to race on Marina Bay street circuit

ON the final weekend of October, a piece of cycling history will be created as Singapore becomes the first country in South-east Asia to host a Tour de France Criterium event.

Thirty-two top riders from 8 of the world’s best professional cycling teams – including this year’s Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard from Denmark and decorated British cyclist Mark Cavendish, who holds the joint record for the most Tour de France stage wins (34) – will pedal their way along a specially designed street circuit in the Marina Bay area.

The Tour de France Prudential Singapore Criterium will see amateurs and professionals riding in different categories on Oct 29 and Oct 30. Singapore will be represented in the professional race, with national cyclist Yeo Boon Kiak – who recently won a bronze at this year’s Sea Games Criterium – part of Team Singapore Cycling Federation.

The Tour de France is widely regarded as the pinnacle of professional cycling, with elite cyclists covering an average of 3,500 km over 3 weeks in July.

The Criterium is a shorter race on a closed circuit, with such a format more suitable to Singapore’s streets. Riders will complete a pre-determined number of laps or race for a fixed period of time. The length of each lap or circuit ranges from 800 m to 10,000 m.

Members of the public who join Prudential’s cycling club and complete 4 cycling clinics stand a chance to earn one of 50 spots to race in the Prudential Criterium.

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BT Weekend recently met Dennis Tan, the chief executive officer of Prudential Singapore, to find out more about the company’s title sponsorship of the criterium and why the insurance giant is so passionate about cycling and sports.

How did this partnership with a major cycling event come about?

There were conversations with the industry, so we got together and started discussing. There was chemistry, and more importantly for us, there is a fit to our business. So when there was this opportunity for us to bring the Tour de France Criterium here, we wanted to support it.

Actually, cycling is not new to us. We supported the Prudential RideLondon cycling festival in 2019, which drew over 100,000 rides and raised £11.5 million (S$18.4 million) for charity. We then brought PRURide to Asia to encourage more communities to be healthier and more active, and we’ve done this in countries such as the Philippines and Indonesia.

Why does the company see cycling as a strong fit?

As an insurer, we are going beyond our traditional role of protection – paying out claims when customers fall ill – to one where we are partnering our customers for the long term and helping them stay healthy for longer.

Cycling is a good example of something that promotes a healthier lifestyle. We’ve seen the Singapore government’s push to promote cycling, such as by upgrading or building cycling paths and park connectors.

And cycling is not a solo sport. It’s something you can do to bond with friends and families. It’s very accessible and not expensive, and because of all these positive elements, we felt this is something worth supporting.

Tell me more about this whole philosophy of moving from protection to prevention.

Focusing on long-term wellness helps make longevity a more positive experience for people and helps to keep healthcare affordable. When people lead healthier lives, there is less need to consume healthcare resources. This helps to reduce healthcare inflation.

In addition to engaging in physical sports to stay healthy, we are making use of technology to make healthcare more accessible to everyone, and help people manage their health better. Our Pulse app was launched in April 2020, the same month that Singapore entered the circuit breaker. It helps users prevent, postpone and protect against the onset of chronic diseases, and there are other features such as video consultations with doctors.

Are you big on sports yourself?

When I was younger, I enjoyed running a lot, and especially long distances. I’ve done more than 15 half-marathons, and I completed my first marathon – the first Sundown Marathon in Singapore back in 2008 – just before I turned 40. 

It was challenging, and I remember there was a heavy downpour towards the end, and I think I needed about 5 or 6 hours to finish it. I was just focused on completing that marathon, and I’m glad I managed to do so.

In my 40s, due to the many years of pounding the roads, I developed knee problems so I had to stop running. So since then, I do a lot of brisk walking whenever I can. It’s not quite the same as running, of course, but I’ve found it very helpful, especially over the last 2 years due to the pandemic.