With the Wollongong Road World Championships (September) and Tour de France Prudential Singapore Criterium (October), We cannot help but wonder which event will be blessed with the participation of our Tour de France champion, Jonas Vingegaard.
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It has been confirmed that the Jumbo-Visma rider will be seen taking part in the Tour de France Prudential Singapore Criterium in late October. Vingegaard already missed the Tour of Denmark and has not shown much enthusiasm to join the team for the upcoming Wollongong Road World Championships. Ever since the finale of the Tour de France, he has not taken part in any racing event. Although his schedule still remains unknown, it was confirmed on Wednesday, 24th August 2022, that the 25-year-old will be seen alongside Mark Cavendish (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl) competing at the Singapore Criterium.
The set-out in Singapore might not be best suited for our champion, but his presence at the event is crucial. Such exhibition events for tour de France have been carried out in different countries before, like the Saitama Criterium in Japan and the Shanghai Criterium in China, Singapore will be joining the league first time. Tour de France Director Christian Prudhomme made an announcement for the event, stating:
The Tour de France Criterium is a cycling performance, showcasing the speed and intensity of cycling through a race on an inner-city circuit
He also talked about how the format of the Tour allows it to expand to different locations:
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
He made sure to include that the purpose of such events is to explore the cycling world to places yet unexplored:
With the Tour de France Criterium, cycling becomes a cultural bridge, celebrating the Tour de France atmosphere in territories the race has not yet explored
On the other hand, Boon Kiak, a Singaporean team member, impatiently waits to see how things turn out to be for the betterment of the sport. He said in his interview:
It’s an honor to race among the world’s best, We’re looking forward to seeing how our race strategy and familiarity with the street circuit measures up against the skills of the best cyclists in the world – we’re sure it will be an amazing experience.
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Following a similar format, the Giro d’Italia criterium also took place in Dubai last year. Although it had a short format of 30-lap, yet every second was enjoyable. There, Egan Bernal and Peter Sagan (point classification winner) were the talk of the town.
Also Read: QuickStep-AlphaVinyl’s Rising Star: Remco Evenepoel
Featured Image Via YouTube/ Team Jumbo-Visma
