If you were anywhere near the Padang last weekend, you would have seen it: rain pelting sideways, umbrellas flying, cyclists cutting through puddles like it was summer in Nice and monsoon in Mumbai all at once.
That was the Tour de France EFGH Singapore Criterium 2025, our first outing as title sponsor, and the skies made sure it was unforgettable.
But the real headline was not the rain. It was faith.Not the kind that waits for miracles, but the kind that says, “Let’s ride anyway.” Riders, guests, staff, investors, children, everyone stayed, soaked and smiling. That is faith.
Two Months, One Dream
We pulled this off in just two months. Do not ask me how. I am still drying my shoes.
When we first said we would put our name next to the Tour de France, most people blinked twice. A Singapore start-up barely 18 months old sponsoring one of the world’s biggest races sounded either bold or bonkers.
But that is the thing about belief. You either play small or you play global.
And when you have a team that runs on caffeine, conviction and a touch of chaos, you do not just plan. You pedal. Late nights, early mornings, and somewhere in between, magic happened.
Faith in Conversation
Saturday’s Investor Talk was one of those moments when everything clicked.
More than one hundred people turned up: investors, partners and friends. Some were curious. Others simply wanted to know what on earth “Finternet” meant.
By the end, I think they saw it. The mission. The heart behind the company. The belief that finance can be rebuilt around trust, access and people.
We spoke about faith, and somehow it became more than a theme. It became the energy in the room.
Good conversations were had, new friendships formed, and perhaps a few future collaborations were born over wine and whiskey.
The Sunday Charity Ride
If the race was the spectacle, the Sunday Charity Ride was the soul.
Seventy of us, business leaders, riders and volunteers, clocked a combined 400 laps of 2.4km before most people finished breakfast. We raised $10,000 for the Tzu Chi Foundation, but what we really built was camaraderie on two wheels.
For those few kilometres, there were no titles or job grades. Just people sweating, laughing and trying not to fall off their bikes. It reminded me why we started EFGH: to move people forward, together.
When Africa Rode
Then came Biniam Girmay, the lone African rider who blazed through the rain to finish second by a whisker. He was calm, composed and unstoppable throughout the race.
For me, that moment meant everything. Africa is where so much of our story is written, where we are building the Finternet that links trust, protection and progress.
Watching Biniam sprint through that downpour felt like watching Africa itself, pushing through headwinds and still finding its rhythm.
Our Kind of Chaos
Behind the scenes, it was equal parts precision and pandemonium. Guests to greet, bikes to move and media to charm, often all at once. Yet somehow, it all came together.
To Evoke Exp, the Singapore Tourism Board and every crew member and volunteer, you were the quiet gears that kept this ride smooth.
And to the EFGH family, from directors to the working crew, thank you. You did not just deliver an event. You delivered heart.
What the Rain Taught
When the skies opened, nobody ran. We stayed. We laughed. We believed. That is what faith looks like. Not perfect conditions, but people who refuse to stop pedalling. We may build digital rails, but moments like these remind me that the strongest network is not online. It is human.
So here is to the next climb, the next sprint and the next impossible idea. And yes, Mark Cavendish promised he will be back with EFGH.
We will be ready, rain or shine.
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