Mark Cavendish may have hinted in recent weeks that he wants to keep the door ajar on his racing career but, with no confirmation of any change to the retirement plans, there is still the atmosphere of a farewell celebration at the Tour de France Prudential Singapore Criterium.
Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty), Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe) and Chris Froome (Israel-Premier tech) are among those on the start list for Sunday's criterium, providing a cocktail of riders as iconic to the sport as the Singapore Sling is to the tourists lining up outside the Raffles Long Bar.
From the first press release announcing the details of the 2024 edition to the promotion on social media of recent days, much of the focus has been on the chance to say farewell to a rider who has done something no one before had managed.
“This is your last chance to witness the Manx Missile in action” was the message on the event's Instagram posts. “Witness TDF's greatest sprinter on the streets of Singapore for his last race ever. Don't miss your chance to be part of cycling history.”
The Astana-Qazaqstan rider with a record 35 stage wins to his name, was unsurprisingly one of the fan favourites at last week’s Saitama Criterium in Japan.
Cavendish said Saitama was “probably my last race in Japan”, however, he politely declined to talk about what is next in his life and his plans for 2025. The lack of clarity over whether or not this was the end of his professional racing career, originally sparked by comments at the Tour de France route presentation, remains as the focus turns to Singapore.
Whether or not Cavendish himself is ready to call Sunday’s event his 'last dance,' Singapore is bound to enjoy the fact that it has been slated as such. There has, after all, been nothing said to clearly confirm that the plan to retire has changed.
The prospect of a celebratory farewell has added even more excitement around the crowd-pleasing event on the island which sits off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula.
The criterium brings a taste of the Tour de France to the tropical climate of Singapore and would certainly provide a fitting farewell. It would allow Cavendish to sign off in a Tour de France theme, and so enjoy the moment by spread the passion for the race he unquestionably loves.
Former lead-out man Mark Renshaw ushered him through a pre-race sponsor event discussion on Friday evening, in much he same way as he used to usher him into position for a bunch sprint.
Cavendish said: "The Tour de France has given me an incredible career, it has given me an incredible life and for that I will give everything I have."
That comment may have been have been referring to the effort of suffering through the mountain stages after taking his 35th career stage on day five of the 2024 event, but the attitude of showing respect to the race rang just as true in the way he tackles the long list of publicity events surrounding the race.
Once again after speaking at a welcome event on Friday, he was surrounded by a throng of people looking for autographs and was quick to oblige. The opportunities for fans of the sport in the region to see such a star-studded cycling field are rare and so are the chances to help build a passion for professional cycling in the area by bringing the riders, who usually ply their trade in Europe, within reach of the usually far-flung fan base.
There is no doubting the grandness and scale of what was about to unfold at the third running of the Singapore Criterium, with work underway to set the scene for a weekend showcase of some of the biggest names in the world of cycling.
A wide array of stages, stands and infrastructure have been assembled in Esplanade Park and barriers were being readied to line the criterium course in downtown Singapore, which would usually be packed with as many as ten lanes of traffic.
Instead on Sunday, the widest stretch on the route will be hosting three lanes of racing as the 2.5km long circuit heads out from the Connaught Drive start/finish line, then turns left over the Singapore River and takes another sharp bend onto Esplanade Drive, where two tight hairpins await to take the riders up and back the road again.
After that the race heads past the Theaters on the Bay – nicknamed the Durian due to its spiky domed facade – onto Stamford Road and then comes back to the finishing straight, where, after the bell has rung for the final lap, the race deciding sprint will unfold.
If Cavendish wins, it will offer a moment of celebration that may just provide a perfect goodbye.
