Smooth as a bicycle ride, first Pune Grand Tour wins rave reviews

PUNE: When Graham Jones first heard that India would host a Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) grade race, he was skeptical. Like many, the former British rider — a five-time Tour de France participant — too had doubts over India’s capability and preparedness to conduct a race that needed empty paths, obstruction free routes and most importantly, good quality roads.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!But the recently-concluded Pune Grand Tour, India’s first UCI 2.2 — the fourth tier in the UCI stage race ratings — left everyone pleasantly surprised, foreigners and locals alike, when the four-stage race ran as smoothly as a well-oiled bicycle tyre. It being a UCI recognised event, participants and winners get points, which help them improve their rankings. The individual ranking is one of the criteria to get a quota place for the Olympics.“The first time I heard about the Pune Grand Tour, was through an Instagram post by Amarjit Singh Gill, the president of the Asian Cycling Confederation. I never imagined India hosting a UCI road race,” Jones said while expressing his suprise over the conduct of the event, which finished incident free.“I was skeptical because this was their first race. Who would help them, where would the experience would come from. But coming here and seeing the level of organisation has been unbelievable,” the former Giro d’Italia rider said.These are but baby steps for stage cycling in in India. “In the global hierarchy, it’s still at the entry level, below WorldTour, ProSeries and 2.1 race, but every race has to start somewhere,” reminded Jones.If the host country manages to conduct the 2.2 level successfully, the race may get upgraded to 2.1, where more professional teams participate. The level is decided according to the toughness of the routes, the elevation, and the number of stages. “For me, this is already one of the best 2.2 races in the world in terms of funding, organisation, road closures and overall professionalism,” said an impressed Jones.UCI director general, Amina Lanaya, too said the PGT has left the participants and officials happy. “Many have said the experience is comparable to top-level UCI WorldTour races,” said Lanaya.