Festive end to Pune Grand Tour as team Li Ning Star dominates all stages
A somewhat expected result, as the China-based team had dominated the previous stages. Li Ning Star won the General Classification with a combined time of 28:41:19.
Cyclists ride past Shaniwar Wada as China’s Li Ning Star sealed overall victory at the Pune Grand Tour, with Luke Mudgway retaining the yellow jersey on January 23. (Express Photo by Pavan Khengre) As thousands gathered along the race route on the final day of the match to cheer on the cyclists as they passed by historic locations like the Shaniwar Wada, it was team Li Ning Star that emerged victorious in the Pune Grand Tour at the end of the final stage on January 23. Luke Mudgway, star athlete of the team in this race, won the final yellow jersey, a prize he retained since he first won it in stage 1.
A somewhat expected result, as the China-based team had dominated the previous stages. Li Ning Star won the General Classification with a combined time of 28:41:19. Spanish powerhouse Burgos Burpellet BH, the only pro-team in the inaugural edition of the event, claimed second place at 28:42:09, while Terengganu Cycling Team, Thailand won the third place on the podium with 28:48:19.
Beginning at Balewadi Stadium and snaking its way across the twin cities of Pimpri Chinchwad and Pune, the race ended at JM Road after over 90 kms. Cyclists remarked that they had never seen big, vibrant crowds for a cycle race.
After his win, Mudgway hoped that the event would be organised at a large scale and with the UCI category next year, “I am definitely going to miss the crowd…I think the race can definitely go to the 2.1 level. You definitely have the infrastructure to do it, so if it goes up another level then you are going to get bigger teams coming here. There will be more good riders, and it’s going to make
it a much more interesting race to follow.”
Clement Alleno of Burgos Burpellet BH was awarded the ‘Polka Dot Jersey’ for the Ghatacha Raja (King of the Mountains) competition after amassing 15 points. The ‘Orange Jersey’ for best Asian rider remained with Jambaljamts Sainbayar, of Burgos Burpellet BH, Spain. Tijssen Viego of Wielerploeg Groot Amsterdam, Netherlands again claimed the ‘White Jersey’ for ‘best young U23 rider’. Harshveer Singh Sekhon of the Indian National Team finished the week as India’s leading performer, earning the ‘Blue Jersey’.
As a Union Cycliste Internationale 2.2 event, the PGT offered points counting towards qualification for the 2028 Olympic games. Donning a green saree, Amina Lanaya, Director General of the Union Cycliste Internationale, said, “I think the bar has been raised very high and India, just after the first edition, has proven that it can deliver the best-class event. So, I’m really, really looking forward to working together with the local authorities, the national federation, to make cycling grow even further.”
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