28 MARCH 2014
OCBC Cycle Singapore kicked off on Friday at the F1 Pit Building with the Masters’, Women’s Open and Men’s Open Criterium events. Benjamin Paul Arnott from the United Kingdom won the Masters’ Criterium. SarahJeanne Fraser won the Women’s Open Criterium. Tjarco Cuppens won the Men’s Open Criterium.
In addition, Team Osteo Health was crowned champion of the Corporate Category and Team Ben-Pete-Nick-Bevan was crowned champion of the Open Category of The Berocca Challenge after an exhilarating Final, and each team earned a trip to the Gold Coast Festival of Cycling in Australia in October. Team Ben-Pete-Nick-Bevan received help from Professional Criterium guest rider Bernard Sulzberger of Drapac Professional Cycling Team.
OCBC Cycle Singapore continued with The Parade of Hope, a 20-minute ride around the F1 Pit Building aimed at raising awareness and funds for the official charities of OCBC Cycle Singapore 2014: Dover Park Hospice, Singapore Children’s Society, SingHealth Transplant TRUEfund and the SportCares Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Singapore Sports Council. The Parade of Hope was open for public registration for the first time this year, and also joining the ride were Professional Criterium riders Ed Clancy (Rapha Condor-JLT), Aidis Kruopis (ORICA-GreenEDGE), Rico Rogers (OCBC Singapore Pro Cycling Team) and Shem Rodger (New Zealand national team), as well as Team Singapore cyclists Ho Jun Rong, Benedict Lee, Noel Teh and Travis Woodford and Team Singapore sprinter Gary Yeo.
Tjarco Cuppens celebrates winning the OCBC Cycle Singapore Men’s Open Criterium on Friday at the F1 Pit Building
Beneficiaries of OCBC Cycle Singapore’s four official charities take part in The Parade of Hope on Friday at the F1 Pit Building
The OCBC Singapore Pro Cycling Team’s Rico Rogers came within a split-second of giving the roaring home fans a victory to remember, as Drapac Professional Cycling Team’s Wouter Wippert edged Rogers by a fraction of a bicycle length to win the OCBC Cycle Singapore Professional Criterium on Friday at the F1 Pit Building.
Still, the second-place finish was the OCBC Singapore Pro Cycling Team’s best-ever result at its home race. Cameron Bayly gave Singapore’s only professional cycling outfit further reason to cheer by capturing the Cycle Asia King of the Sprints crown, the second year in a row the team has captured the accolade. Rapha Condor-JLT’s Graeme Briggs, the 2011 British national road race champion, finished in third place.
Ho Jun Rong, the only Singaporean in the field, finished in 26th place, 18 seconds behind Wippert, to become the first local rider since 2010 to complete the challenging Professional Criterium. Terengganu Cycling Team’s Mohammad Saufi Mat Senan earned the Best Asian Rider title by crossing the line in 21st place.
The peloton ended up completing 41 rounds of the highly technical, 1.7-kilometre course around the F1 Pit Building. Of the 56 riders in the field, only 37 completed the race.
Drapac Professional Cycling Team’s Wouter Wippert (front) beats the OCBC Singapore Pro Cycling Team’s Rico Rogers (yellow helmet) to win the OCBC Cycle Singapore Professional Criterium on Friday at the F1 Pit Building
OCBC Cycle Singapore Professional Criterium riders (from left) Mohammad Saufi Mat Senan from the Terangganu Cycling Team, Rico Rogers from the OCBC Singapore Pro Cycling Team, Wouter Wippert from the Drapac Professional Cycling Team, Graeme Briggs from Rapha Condor-JLT and Cameron Bayly from the OCBC Singapore Pro Cycling Team celebrate after the OCBC Cycle Singapore Professional Criterium on Friday at the F1 Pit Building
Drapac Professional Cycling Team’s Wouter Wippert (holding flowers) celebrates winning the OCBC Cycle Singapore Professional Criterium on Friday at the F1 Pit Building
Updates and Photos by OCBC Cycle Singapore