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Building momentum: Cycling groups conduct test rides on Pune Grand Tour route

This promo ride saw more than 100 cyclists including Ajit Patil, Ganesh Bhujbal, Shrikant Chaudhari, Chintan Desai and Santosh Nakhate among others.

3 min readPuneUpdated: Jan 13, 2026 08:07 PM IST

Maninder Pal Singh, Secretary General, Cycling Federation of India said that India is fielding two teams-- the Indian National Team and the Indian Development Team. (Source: Express Photo)

Spread across 437 km and divided into four stages, the Pune Grand Tour beginning January 19 is set to test the endurance and expertise of 171 cyclists, including 12 from India. Positioned as the country’s first major international cycling event and modelled on Tour de France, a series of promotional rides are being held to assess the routes with the latest one conducted by the Indo-Athletic Society, headed by a lawyer and joined by doctors and engineers.

Bapusaheb Gaikwad, joint city engineer, mobility department, Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), who is in his mid-50s and cycles 100-200 km per week, flagged off the Indo-Athletic Society’s ride along one of the scenic routes in the Pune Grand Tour.

“This route is part of Phase 3 and takes cyclists through Paud, Tikona, Pavananagar and Chandkhed before concluding at D Y Patil College, Akurdi,” advocate Gajanan Khaire, president of the Indo-Athletic Society and who has been cycling for the last 14 years, said. “It was a 91-km ride and was a challenging mix of ups and downs with good elevation gains,” Khaire said.

The promo ride saw more than 100 cyclists take part.

There are 12 cyclists, including three stand-by riders. (Source: Express Photo)

District Collector Jitendra Dudi told The Indian Express that the team had sought support from various cycling groups and associations to conduct test and promo rides that will also help the administration in identifying further scope for improvement along the route. “These cyclists will also work as our volunteers as they are aware of the terrain,” Dudi added. The district administration also conducted another trial run with 17 cyclists and commanding vehicles to ensure participant safety.

India fielding 12 cyclists

Maninder Pal Singh, secretary general, Cycling Federation of India, said India is fielding two teams — the Indian national team and the Indian development team. There are 12 cyclists including three stand-by riders. The Indian national team includes Harshveer Singh Seekhon, Naveen John, Vishavjeet Singh, Dinesh Kumar, Sahil Kumar, Surya Ramesh Thathu (from Pune) while Krishna Nayakodi and Manjeet Singh are on stand-by. The Indian development team includes Niraj Kumar, Sachin Desai, Manav Sarda, Dhruv Dahiya, Akshar Tyagi, Vivaan Sapru and Dilawar Singh on stand-by.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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