Lake Garda, Italy / Pune, India, June 7
The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has pledged its full support to help establish the Pune Grand Tour (PGT) as the world's fourth Grand Tour and position Pune as a leading global sports tourism destination.
During a special presentation of the organizing team of PGT before the UCI Management Committee in Lake Garda, Italy, the world governing body for cycling praised the Pune Grand Tour for delivering a race of a quality comparable to the finest cycling events in the world and expressed amazement that an event of such a big scale and international standard was successfully conceived, planned and executed within just six months.
The UCI also lauded the exemplary discipline displayed by the more than 2.5 million spectators (largest for any sporting event in India) who attended the five-day event and commended the police and district administration for ensuring exceptional safety and security arrangements despite the unprecedented crowds.
Recognizing the race as the first genuine opportunity to create a future Grand Tour outside Europe, UCI President David Lappartient extended the organization’s full cooperation to support the event's long-term growth, including expertise in urban mobility planning and assistance in strengthening grassroots cycling development programs across India. The Pune Grand Tour received a significant boost on the global cycling stage as the UCI endorsed the event's long-term vision and reaffirmed its commitment to supporting its growth.
A delegation comprising Pune District Collector Jitendra Dudi, Cycling Federation of India (CFI) Secretary General Maninder Pal Singh and Bajaj Auto Director Abhinav Bindra was invited by UCI President David Lappartient to present the remarkable journey and future roadmap of the Pune Grand Tour, whose inaugural edition was successfully held in January 2026.
Sharing the key outcomes of the presentation and subsequent interaction with the UCI Management Committee, Jitendra Dudi said, "The UCI Management Committee not only appreciated the quality and execution of the race, but also approved the upgrade of the Pune Grand Tour to UCI 2.1 Status, marking a major milestone in the event's international recognition. The committee also gave its consent for the 2027 edition to be held between January 26 and January 31, allowing the event to incorporate three national holidays, while leaving the final scheduling decision to the Pune district administration."
(UCI 2.1 status is a Class 1 stage race classification that attracts a higher caliber of teams, allowing up to 50 per cent of the participants to be elite UCI World Teams. It also features larger prize purses, more UCI ranking points and stricter organizational standards.)
Representing the unique partnership between government, federation and corporate stakeholders that delivered the inaugural edition of the race, the delegation of PGT outlined Pune's ambition to establish the Pune Grand Tour among the world's premier cycling events during the presentation to the UCI Management Committee.
During the 90-minute presentation, Jitendra Dudi detailed the development of the Pune Grand Tour from its conceptualization in the summer of 2025 to its successful execution within a span of just six months. He highlighted the extensive infrastructure efforts involving more than 1,200 engineers and a workforce of over 10,000 personnel who upgraded over 400 kilometer long roads across Pune district to meet international UCI standards.
Dudi presented a long-term vision for the event with the ultimate goal of transforming the Pune Grand Tour into road cycling's fourth Grand Tour alongside the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España, featuring elite competitions for both men and women.
He credited the visionary leadership, strategic guidance and strong support of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the late Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar, for playing a pivotal role in bringing the event to fruition.
Speaking on the occasion, Maninder Pal Singh outlined the Cycling Federation of India's strategy to build upon the country's recent successes in track cycling and create a robust athlete development pathway aimed at winning cycling medals at the 2030 Commonwealth Games and the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Abhinav Bindra reaffirmed Bajaj Auto's long-term commitment to the Pune Grand Tour and its broader vision of nurturing grassroots cycling and community sports development throughout the district.
The governing body further recognized the Pune Grand Tour as the first genuine opportunity to create a future Grand Tour outside Europe and described it as a true "people's race."
The presentation was attended by senior cycling administrators from across the world, reflecting the growing international significance of the Pune Grand Tour. UCI President David Lappartient also announced that he would personally attend the race next year.
The strong endorsement from world cycling's governing body represents a major step forward in Pune's emergence as a global cycling destination and reinforces the city's ambition to host one of the most prestigious road cycling events in the world.
000
