TGIFriday exclusive: Riding with the Tudor Pro Cycling Team in Singapore

We participated in the very first Southeast Asia ride with the Tudor Pro Cycling fresh from their good performance in Le Tour de Langkawi. Here is our report.

TGIFriday exclusive: Riding with the Tudor Pro Cycling Team in Singapore

We reported about the formation of the Tudor Pro Cycling Team back in 2022. The team is a partnership with the famous Swiss cyclist Fabian Cancellera, whose palmarès boasts of major wins in the Tour de France, Vuelta Espana, stage races, and the Classics as well as multiple Olympic and World titles. At Le Tour de Langkawi, which concluded just days before the ride in Singapore, the team had just added the Points Classification and Mountains jersey to their list of wins. Before we arrived at about 7am, the pros had already done their morning training, starting at 5am.

Some 30 guest cyclists were invited for the ride, and we gathered at the Marina Bay area for safety briefings and morning coffee before embarking on the ride. We were each assigned a loan Tudor.

As there were three Tudor Pro Cyclists in attendance, Arvid de Kleijn, Maikel Zijlaard and Sebastian Kolze Changizi, we were divided into three groups. I was slotted in the fast group, probably because I am already a veteran road cyclist led by Arvid, who had just won the red Points Classifications competition at the Tour de Langkawi.

We rode up the ECP (East Coast Park) and made it around the TMCR (Tanah Merah Coastal Road), a round trip which my Garmin clocked at 48km. The two other groups made a shorter distance and took a more leisurely pace.

For us, amateur cyclists, it was a fast group ride, though as a pelaton, we still had opportunities for free wheeling. Average speed on the fast bit around TMCR was about 34km/hr. A good pace for a club cyclist. But for Arvid, it was a chill ride, with opportunities to ride no-handed, chat and occasionally sprinting after cars for fun. For me, Strava told me that I made 19 personal records during the ride, with the fast part of the ride averaging about 240W.

The ride ended with a brunch at Fico, an Italian restaurant along ECP with a view of the sea and superb food. We also had a chance to bond with the Pro Cyclists, who were very gregarious, friendly and chatty. All three were willing to share their passion for cycling.

It was a fabulous experience to remember for life. And a big thanks to the Tudor team for making this happen!