The Pune civic body is planning to revive the city’s longstanding cycling tradition and aiming to turn it into the cycling capital of India. “Our goal is to build a network of about 75 km of dedicated cycling tracks across the city, allowing cyclists of all age groups — from children to senior citizens — to travel safely,” Naval Kishore Ram, Pune Municipal Commissioner, said. Ram was addressing cyclists participating in the HindAyan’s Shaniwarwada to Sinhagad Bike and Hike initiative. Representatives of the Territorial Army, Border Security Force, Indian Air Force, Pune Municipal Corporation Cycling Club, and the general public participated in the event held recently. “Cycling is an eco-friendly and health-promoting mode of transport. Therefore, creating proper infrastructure for cyclists is essential,” Ram said. “To that end, the municipal corporation is developing a 75 km cycling route for the Pune Grand Challenge Tour, scheduled for January 2026. We are confident that with these efforts, Pune will soon be recognised as the cycling capital of the country,” he added, referring to the international Olympic qualifier cycling event in January next year. Vishnudas Chapke, the organiser of the HindAyan cycling campaign, expressed his gratitude for the support extended by the municipal commissioner. “We invite all Punekars to join the special Shiv Jayanti event from Shaniwarwada to Sinhagad Bike and Hike on February 19, 2026. Punekars can also participate in various cycling events such as the 20 km Cycle Parade at Kartavya Path in Delhi, the 100 km Stage Race in Sindhudurg, the Mumbai to Pune ride, and the Delhi to Agra ‘Double Century Ride’ via the Yamuna Expressway,” he said. The Pune Grand Challenge Tour is the first professional multi-stage cycling event in India, inspired by races such as the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia. The race will cover several locations, including Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Baramati, Mulshi, Maval, Purandar, Bhor, and Velhe. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has a challenging task on hand to develop rider-friendly roads for the event in January, and has to complete the work by November end. The PMC has undertaken road development work of around Rs 147.75 crore for modifying 75 km stretches of civic roads in the city. It will remove 200 speed breakers, plastic bumps and raised crossings, and repair 400 damaged chamber covers and metal gratings to bring it to road level.
