SINGAPORE – Saving the best for last worked a charm for Belgian rider Jasper Philipsen, who clinched the Tour de France Prudential Singapore Criterium title on Sunday by utilising his strength – sprinting – during a frenetic finish to the race.
In the process, the 25-year-old outsprinted British legend Mark Cavendish, who settled for second spot and praised his rival, calling him a “rocket”.
With 2km to go, two-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar had pulled away from the leading pack. But the peloton, led by four-time Tour winner Chris Froome, pushed hard and caught up with the Slovenian before the last 200m of the Suntec City circuit.
Cavendish, 38, then led briefly before Philipsen, who is known for his explosiveness and had won the 2023 Tour de France green jersey for points classification, snatched the title with an almighty sprint.
Pogacar, who was left with tired legs, settled for third among 39 riders, while another four did not finish the race in hot and humid conditions.
Froome placed 23rd, while another big name – Italian mountain specialist Giulio Ciccone – was 15th. Singapore’s top finisher was the 33rd-placed Raihan Airudin.
When asked about his strategy for winning the 20-lap race on a 3km circuit, Philipsen said: “I’m a sprinter. So obviously I want to go for a sprint strategy.
“We had a good team so I didn’t do much during the race and I tried to save as much as possible for the end.”
Cavendish, also regarded as one of the greatest sprinters, said: “We nearly didn’t catch Tadej.
“It would’ve been nice to win. I led through the last corner. I thought there was not enough time for them to come round, but Jasper came like a rocket.”
The Briton, who had made a U-turn on plans to retire and will compete in the 2024 Tour in a bid to break the record of most stage wins (34) that he shares with Belgian great Eddy Merckx, then lavished more praise on Philipsen.
He said: “I couldn’t match Jasper, but not many people have matched Jasper this year. I’m really happy with second.”
Pogacar, who was in a jovial mood despite relinquishing his lead, admitted that he did enough only for third.
The 25-year-old said: “It was a very tight finish at the end.
“I knew it was going to be hard because at the back, there were some really fast guys.
“I tried to give it until the finish but I was just a bit too tired from before. It was just enough for third place.”
Three-time road-cycling world champion Peter Sagan clinched the points classification category, winning all four intermediate sprints.
The Slovak, who is switching focus to cross-country cycling, said: “I tried to sprint for the first points and I won it, and then after the second sprint we went into a breakaway with Tadej.
“Tadej was definitely the strongest because he was always pulling in the front hard.”
Sagan, who finished 14th, believes that Pogacar may have made a strategic error towards the end of the race, costing him the Singapore title.
The 33-year-old said: “We had things under control because in the end Tadej was alone.
“If he had stayed with two or three riders, he could maybe do it. But to go that fast alone, it’s hard.”
Despite the tickets being priced at $68, banker Joachim Cros, 48, and his son Valentin, 16, believe it was worth it as they managed to catch a glimpse of their favourite riders and get the autograph of French cyclist Victor Lafay, who finished in 24th place.
Cros, who thought Pogacar would be the champion, was glad they caught the “high-octane” race up close.
He said: “I thought Pogi was going to win, but at the end of the day it was a pity. The finish was crazy, very fast.”
