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Jonas Vingegaard, Mark Cavendish, Chris Froome, Vincenzo Nibali and Alejandro Valverde went for a ‘trishaw’ journey on the eve of Sunday’s Tour de France Prudential Singapore Criterium on Sunday, having fun with some finish of season enjoyable and video games earlier than the 64km downtown circuit race.
Earlier within the day Cavendish spoke to Cyclingnews about his 2022 season however stayed tight-lipped about his staff for 2023.
Vingegaard shared his ideas on the 2023 Tour de France route and the way he would have preferred extra time trials within the mountains route.
The 5 big-name riders are a part of a 28-rider group {of professional} orders who will race in opposition to 16 Asian riders. Additionally in Singapore are Jasper Philipsen, who’s a part of a Legends Workforce alongside Cavendish, Tour de France stage winners Simon Clarke and Hugo Houle, polka-dot wearer Simon Geschke, Sepp Kuss and Rohan Dennis.
Nibali and Valverde have already formally retired however will journey in Singapore and in subsequent week’s comparable Saitama Tour de France criterium in Japan.
Plans for a Tour de France criterium in Singapore had been made three years in the past however the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the primary version. It has been organised by Australian firm TEG Leisure.
“The goal is to have the ability to unfold the curiosity in aggressive biking extra extensively,” Brendon Bainbridge of TEG stated.
“The Tour de France and its champions are naturally the perfect ambassadors for reaching the general public. There may be an growing variety of newbie cyclists in Singapore and the nation has put loads of effort into creating biking as a sport.”
The riders took a spin across the Albert Centre and Chinatown areas of Singapore, on three-wheel rickshaws generally known as trishaws, taking on from the native guides and consuming native fried snacks. For the report Mark Cavendish was the primary again to the storage after the journey, forward of Vingegaard, Valverde, Nibali and Froome. Elsewhere Houle took half in an area spinning class.
In the course of the night staff presentation, riders additionally dressed up in native costumes and got a drumming lesson on stage.
On Sunday the riders will compete on a downtown avenue circuit that begins and ends on the Float and Marina Bay and passes iconic Singapore landmarks together with the Merlion and the Esplanade. The riders will cowl a number of the five-kilometre circuit used throughout the Singapore Formulation 1 Grand Prix for a complete of 20 laps and 64k of racing.
“I’m an enormous fan of Formulation 1. I watch the Singapore Grand Prix on tv, however I’ve additionally pushed it on my PlayStation! It was the very first thing I did once I came upon that we might be driving right here,” Cavendish stated.
Like most of the riders, Vingegaard travelled to Singapore together with his household after an finish of season vacation within the Maldives. He’ll race the criterium in his Tour de France yellow jersey.
“It’ll really feel actually particular to put on the yellow jersey once more, it provides us the chance to convey a number of the Tour de France environment right here,” he stated.
