World Championship in India? UCI considers upgrading Pune Grand Tour's status next year

TimesofIndia.com in Pune: Nestled at the foothills of the Western Ghats, Pune witnessed a landmark moment in Indian sporting history as the country successfully brought its first-ever UCI 2.2 category professional cycling event to a close on Friday.

Global professional cycling finally made its entry into India through the "city of cycles", albeit at the lowest rung of the UCI race hierarchy.



However, as the saying goes, every journey begins somewhere. And that feels fit on this occasion.
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The impact of the four-day race has been such that the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is now considering upgrading its status as early as next year, which in itself is a historic landmark.

Speaking to select media on the sidelines of the race, UCI director general Amina Lanaya echoed the governing body’s intent to deepen its footprint in India.

“Next year, we hope that we could upgrade the status of the race," Lanaya said. "That’s our goal, together with the district collector and with the national federation as well, because we want this race to be a reference in Asia in the five coming years.”

The idea for the Pune Grand Tour was initiated by the district collector of Pune, Jitendra Dudi, and quickly gained momentum as soon as it reached Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar. What followed was a rapid mobilisation of resources, with road infrastructure upgraded and logistics put in place to meet UCI standards in under 90 days.

Explaining why they are considering upgrading the status, Lanaya continued, “First is the quality of the organisation, and here we can say that we are really impressed, keeping in mind that it was decided to organise this race six months ago, which is a short period of time, we know that the ability and the capacity of the country and the district of Pune is here to make sure that we can deliver a high-class level event.”

The international participation in the event also moved her.

“We need many nationalities to be present, and we are sure that Pune will be able to attract more countries in the future because there is a willingness to do so," she added. "I’m sure it will be more and more and better year after year.”

That international flavour was evident on the final day.

At the centre of the focus was the star of the Pune Grand Tour, 29-year-old Luke Mudgway of New Zealand.

Mudgway finished with a cumulative time of 09:33:04 after Stage 4 to emerge as the overall winner of the inaugural edition.

Competing against 164 elite riders from 28 teams representing 35 countries across five continents.

Thailand’s Alan Carter Bettles finished second, while Belgium’s Yorben Lauryssen took third place.

Feedback from teams and riders, according to Lanaya, has been overwhelmingly positive.

“The feedback are very good,” she revealed. “They say, ‘wow, the crowds along the roads,’ but not only the crowds; the smiling faces. Indian people are very happy to welcome this event because it’s new.

“If you want to watch a cycling race, it’s free. You don’t have to pay for a ticket like in other sports, which sometimes are very expensive."

While Europe remains cycling’s traditional centre, the UCI believes other regions are ready to take on bigger responsibilities.

“We had our first UCI World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda, and it was a huge success,” Lanaya said. “Asia is capable and has proven that it can do even more and even better.”

Beyond hosting events, the UCI plans to support rider development in India through its World Cycling Centre in Switzerland and its Asian satellite centres, working closely with the Indian Cycling Federation to identify and nurture talent across disciplines such as road cycling and BMX.

When asked what other Indian cities could do to host UCI-accredited races, Lanaya smirked and joked: “They should call the collector (Dudi) and ask for advice because he did a great job.

“It will be a good publicity for not only the Indians themselves, but also the local authorities to welcome such a cycling event and also see what will be the outcomes of hosting this event,” she said. “Because it’s not only having riders and teams participating, it will boost also, if we have people watching the race on TV, showcasing the districts, showcasing the region and giving them the willingness to visit (the city).”

Looking ahead, she suggested that Pune could be a stepping stone to even bigger ambitions.

“So it will also be, maybe, an opportunity to host World Championships in India in the years to come, and that should be part of the roadmap that we have to put together with all the parties involved,” the UCI director general concluded.


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