SINGAPORE — Former Tour de France (TDF) champion Cadel Evans has hit out at the crowd disturbances that led to the chaotic crash in Stage 12 of this year’s TDF, which saw three cyclists involved in an accident with less than one kilometre to the finish line.

Calling the crash in cycling’s most prestigious event (below, photo: AP) a “shame”, the Australian said unruly fans have disrupted competitive racing far too often, and these incidents need to be stopped.

Evans, who is in Singapore for a four-day (July 14-17) stopover as the global ambassador of the BMC racing team, was referring to the accident late Wednesday night (Singapore time) which saw Tour race leader Chris Froome and Bauke Mollema crashing into Richie Porte. Porte had ridden into the back of a camera motorbike, after the motorbike slowed to a halt because of crowds encroaching on to the road.

The chaotic, farcical crash left defending champion Froome’s bike damaged, and the Team Sky rider subsequently set off on foot (below, photo: AP) while awaiting a replacement bicycle — causing him to lose the overall race lead, before it was reinstated by the race jury.

While the decision by the race officials ensured that Froome kept hold of his yellow jersey, and the general classification remained largely unaffected, it still resulted in the riders lashing out at what they felt was a robbed chance of a fair, well-competed race.

“These incidents don’t reflect well on the sport and it’s very disappointing for the riders,” said Evans, 39, who retired from competitive cycling in February last year.

“Guys like Porte and Froome ... when they face something like that, it might be the difference between winning and losing the TDF, and being on the podium or not. That’s not the way racing is meant to be.”

While the 2011 TDF champion does not have a solution to curb crowd disturbances at races, he said spectators need to give more respect to the competing cyclists and maintain a safe distance. He added that situations similar to Wednesday’s crash “have been happening all along”, but that these incidents have been “brought to light more so recently”, thanks to social media.

“Cycling is a great sport because it is for everyone — fans have the opportunity to ride and participate, entrance (to watch events) is free, and you can get up close to the riders. So the experience is quite unique,” said Evans.

“But to keep that experience, spectators have to think for the cyclists. What has happened over time is that cycling has got so big and popular — especially the iconic TDF — where it has grown too big for this kind of closeness and intimacy.

“(But) you can’t fence off almost 3,600km of roads in France. So, common sense among people at the event would help, and (thinking about) whether there are too many motorbikes and cars on the roads too …

“Race officials should also consider where and when to neutralise a race and how much penalties, bad luck, and unforeseen circumstances should affect someone’s race.”

Cadel Evans with local cyclists at the Soek Seng 1954 Bicycle Cafe after the morning ride. Photo: Soek Seng 1954 Bicycle Cafe Facebook page

Yesterday, Evans rode on the Seletar Piccadilly Circuit at JTC’s Seletar Aerospace Park with over 20 other cyclists, as part of the circuit’s official opening. The venue will host the Seletar Aerospace Park Criterium on Aug 21. However, Evans observed that Singapore should look to have a velodrome in the city to raise the level of cycling locally.

“A velodrome would be perfect for Singapore cycling, because you have little or no elevation here, and traffic is heavy. So that (velodrome) would give everyone a place to train in,” he said.

“And because of your natural physique, training in track and sprint cycling would be perfect.”

When contacted, Singapore Cycling Federation general manager Mahipal Singh agreed that having a velodrome “will be beneficial” to national cyclists, but said that no official discussion has been held on the possibility of building one.

“In land-scarce Singapore, having it is not a straightforward question,” he said.

“We also need to make sure it is economically viable, and we have the manpower to sustain it. Hopefully, we can work these out,” he said.

CADEL EVANS FACT FILE

Name: Cadel Evans

Born: Feb 14, 1977 (Age 39)

Major achievements:

Tour de France winner (2011)

Mountain Bike World Cup (1998, 1999)

Commonwealth Games (2002, gold, road time trial)

World Championship (2009, gold, men’s road race)