Ex-Olympic champ Primoz Roglic leads stellar field for Tour de France EFGH S’pore Criterium 2025
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Slovenia's Primoz Roglic is among seven Tour de France stage winners who will race at the 2025 Singapore Criterium.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
- The Tour de France EFGH Singapore Criterium (Nov 1-2) features cycling stars like Primoz Roglic and past Green jersey winners Jasper Philipsen, Jonathan Milan and Biniam Girmay.
- The Singapore Criterium route extends to Collyer Quay, promising faster straights and tighter turns, plus providing more viewing opportunities for spectators.
- New mass-participation events, like A l'Attaque, will allow amateur cyclists to experience the professional course, with categories for teams and solo riders.
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SINGAPORE – The streets of Marina Bay are primed for a clash of some of cycling’s biggest names, with the organisers on Oct 15 confirming a stellar field for the Nov 1-2 Tour de France EFGH Singapore Criterium.
Headlining the event is 2024 Vuelta a Espana champion Primoz Roglic of Slovenia, with seven 2025 Tour de France stage winners among those who will be racing in Singapore.
Roglic, a time-trial gold medallist at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, finished eighth overall at the 2025 Tour de France, his first completion of the race after crashing out in three previous editions and skipping the 2023 event.
Also leading the charge in Singapore are the past three winners of the Tour de France green jersey, which is typically given to the best sprinter – Jonathan Milan (2025), Biniam Girmay (2024) and Jasper Philipsen (2023), who also won the Singapore Criterium in the same year.
Agnes Goh, managing director of Evoke EXP, the organisers of the Singapore Criterium, said: “This year’s Criterium will be a true showcase of world-class sprinting, bringing together the world’s best sprinters who have lit up the Tour de France over the past three editions.”
Also among the contenders are Australia’s Kaden Groves, who prevailed on the 2025 Tour’s penultimate stage to complete a treble of stage wins across all three Grand Tours, and Irishman Ben Healy, who finished third at the 2025 Road World Championships in Rwanda.
The race will also feature Australian Ben O’Connor, who delivered one of the 2025 Tour’s most memorable moments with his high-altitude triumph on Stage 18, and Valentin Paret-Peintre, winner of Stage 16 on the iconic Mont Ventoux, who will lead a special Team France assembled for the fourth edition of the Singapore event.
Also part of the field is Belgian national champion Tim Wellens, winner of Stage 15 and a key domestique or support rider for UAE Team Emirates star Tadej Pogacar’s fourth Tour victory in July.
Looking ahead to upcoming races, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe’s Roglic recently shared his awe at the current speeds in professional cycling in an interview with Siol.net, comparing the pace of the peloton to that of motorcycle racing and predicted that it would get even faster in 2026.
Reflecting on his season, the 35-year-old said: “I definitely would have liked more. I’d be lying if I said I’m happy with it after all the training and effort, but the results are what they are.
“My level was solid. I achieved what I could, or a little bit more, but the others were a little bit faster.”
British legend Mark Cavendish, who capped an illustrious 19-year career with victory at the 2024 Singapore Criterium
The 2025 route, which takes in iconic landmarks like the Padang, Anderson Bridge and the Esplanade, could also amp up the drama.
The provisional course, which was unveiled on Oct 15, stretches to include Collyer Quay with riders making a U-turn around Finlayson Green.
Each lap covers a distance of 2.45km – slightly more than the 2.3km route in 2024 which saw riders making loops on Esplanade Drive – but the number of laps remains the same at 25.
While the final course will be confirmed only closer to the event, the organisers have promised faster straights, tighter turns and a more dramatic sprint finish.
Goh added: “Fans can look forward to an exciting race and an explosive sprint finish befitting one of the biggest cycling events in the region.
“The route extension through Collyer Quay not only adds to the drama of the race but also gives more spectators the chance to experience the action and atmosphere up close, while showcasing Singapore’s iconic skyline to a global audience.”
The organisers had previously announced the introduction of new mass-participation events and free public access for spectators in selected areas to encourage greater community involvement.
A key new addition is A l’Attaque, a ride series that allows amateur cyclists to experience the same closed-road circuit used by the professionals.
The series will feature a team time trial for pairs and solo ride categories for masters (men aged 35 and above) and women (aged 17 and above), as well as a race for foldable bike riders.
