Singapore Cycling Federation has announced the launch of ProCyclingSG, with the aim to propel and professionalise the sport of cycling in Singapore and send a Singapore representative to the Tour de France.

Aim to put Singapore on the cycling world map

Said Hing Siong Chen, President, Singapore Cycling Federation, “ProCyclingSG has a vision and dream to put Singapore on the world map in cycling. This is a dream that’s been growing for the past five to seven years and takes a lot of work and commitment to achieve.” 

Continued Hing, “We are fortunate enough to have a strong governing body and sponsors coming on board, and a good group of people in the Singapore Cycling Federation to turn our dream into a reality.”

Handpicked cyclists to be put through a rigorous training programme

The project, which will cost Singapore $15 million, will groom a group of cyclists handpicked from the national team and put them through a rigorous training programme with guidance from GreenEDGE Cycling, which will provide Singapore’s coaches, local clubs and communities with enhancement and engagement opportunities including the sharing of best practices from Tour de France riders and coaches to deliver a world-class training programme for ProCyclingSG athletes.

With this initiative, ProCyclingSG hope to shortlist a Singaporean to join the Mitchelton-SCOTT Men’s Team to train and race in Europe in 2021, a position open to only three cyclists worldwide.

Said Adrian Ng, General Manager, ProCyclingSG, “Following Singapore’s first medal in the Men’s Road Race at the 2019 South East Asian Games, we believe that introducing a high-performance professional programme is the leap that we need to take in our pursuit of a gold medal at the Asian Games.” 

Added Ng, “We will gain insights from Mitchelton-SCOTT Men’s and Women’s Teams of GreenEDGE Cycling and raise our standards on various levels, from coaching to racing strategies and technical consultancy.”

Stringent training regime and racing opportunities in Europe

The partnership with GreenEDGE Cycling will enable ProCyclingSG to strengthen athletes’ daily training environment and expose them to opportunities for overseas racing and training. Said Ng, “We will expect them to race often and commit to a stringent regime.”

With a proper training structure comprising professional guidance and racing opportunities, ProCyclingSG will gain the commitment of athletes who will thus be able to train in consistency, a key factor that has been missing in Singapore cycling.

Now is the right time

Ng is confident that now is the right time to launch and put this programme in action. He said, “In past years, many athletes struggled because of school and work, and competitive sports were never seen as a career option previously. In cycling, you need to have not only commitment, but also constant exposure to training and racing, in order to be competitive and win medals. You can’t be multi-tasking by juggling school, work and cycling.”

Added Hing, “Now, the stars and moon have aligned; we have reached a point where the community has matured to accept cycling as a career option. We are ready to embark on this path to find funding and sponsorship as we are achieving enough success and growth in the sport, as we have had consistent medals in the South East Asian and Asian Games. Singapore is also placing more emphasis on cycling nowadays, so we want to grow professional cycling in Singapore. We are confident that the puzzle pieces are all falling into place now.”

By 2023, ProCyclingSG hope to have a core group of 11 riders consisting of two full-time professionals, two professional guest riders, four semi-professionals and three developmental riders. 

The professionals will train at an intensity of 25 – 30 hours per week and take part in at least 12 races and four training camps each year. Full-timers will receive a monthly allowance and expenses incurred on overseas training camps and competitions will be borne by ProCyclingSG. 

Three Singaporeans shortlisted so far

So far, three Singaporean cyclists have been shortlisted for the project. Said Ng, “We have a selection criteria and we know what parameters we are looking for and an objective way to select riders.”

The three riders chosen so far are Samuel Leong, a student at Nanyang Polytechnic pursuing a Diploma in Digital and Precision Engineering, Darren Lim, an undergraduate at Nanyang Technological University pursuing a Honours Degree in Sport Science and Management, and Schmidt Tim Lorenz, a first-year Nanyang Polytechnic student studying Engineering with Business.

All three have race and national cycling experience under their belt and all three hope to improve themselves to take on the best in the world.

Pursuing cycling as a career in Singapore 

As well, ProCyclingSG also hope to register a Men’s Continental Team with Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI).

Said Hing, “We want to nurture an ecosystem where full-timers are fully supported in the community and young riders see prospects in pursuing cycling as a career. This is our game plan to embark on an endeavour to consistently secure podium finishes at major games and be competitive both regionally and internationally.”

As well, Hing also added that schools who are willing to partner with ProCyclingSG and see cycling as a viable co-curricular activity option, are welcomed to be a part of this project.

Satellite centres for cyclists to enhance their training

With the launch of their project, ProCyclingSG will also set up satellite centres which include easy access to a velodrome, BMX tracks and cross country trails to enhance the training of their athletes.

And as well, there will also be intensive outreach programmes with schools and corporate sponsors, as well as a diversification of its recruitment sources to include schools, clubs and communities.

Said Hing, “With a world class training environment and international racing opportunities for Singapore cyclists, as well as the expertise from GreenEDGE Cycling, our riders will get much closer to securing medals and podium positions in the sport regularly and we will then become a force to be reckoned with in Asian cycling, and reach the next level.”