A record 12-member Indian cycling team, led by Asian Championship silver medallist Harshveer Singh Sekhon, will represent the home challenge at the Pune Grand Tour 2026, which starts on Monday.
India will field 12 riders in a Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)-accredited cycling road race for the first time, marking the country’s largest-ever contingent.
The five-day Pune Grand Tour – also India’s first UCI 2.2-category men’s multi-stage continental cycling race – will also offer UCI ranking points, that count towards qualification for the LA 2028 Olympics.
Live streaming and telecast of Pune Grand Tour 2026 will be available in India.
A total of 164 elite riders from 28 teams, representing 35 countries, will line up for the inaugural Pune Grand Tour, a 437-kilometre test that cuts across the Deccan Plateau, the Sahyadri Range and the streets of Pune.
The Indian contingent has been split into two categories, with six riders each in the national and developmental teams.
Pune Grand Tour 2026: Indian cycling teams
Indian national team: Naveen John, Sahil Kumar, Dinesh Kumar, Harshveer Singh Sekhon, Vishwajeet Singh, Surya Thathu
Indian developmental team: Sachin Desai, Niraj Kumar, Vivaan Sapru, Manav Sarda, Chirag Sehgal, Akshar Tyagi
The race opens with a 7.5km prologue at Goodluck Chowk on Monday to determine early positions in the general classification before moving into the four-stage test across Pune and the Western Ghats that combines sprinting, climbing and tactical depth.
In stage 1, the 87.2km Mulsi-Maval Miles, which starts on January 20, will pass through Pune’s IT hub of Hinjewadi.
Stage 2 follows on January 21 with the 105.3km Maratha Heritage Circuit, which features challenging ghat climbs around Purandar Fort, Sinhagad and Khadakwasla Lake.
The race then moves to the 134km Western Ghats Gateway on January 22, which stretches from Purandar to Baramati across the Deccan Plateau.Â
The Pune Grand Tour will conclude with the 95km Pune Pride Loop – an urban circuit passing iconic landmarks such as Shaniwar Wada.
read more: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/pune-grand-tour-2026-schedule-stages-route-watch-live-streaming-telecast-india
