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Pune Grand Tour cycle race will help boost rural economy, says District Collector Jitendra Dudi

The Pune Grand Tour cycle race will have teams from 35 countries, including the Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Belgium, Germany, Bulgaria, and Australia.

2 min readPuneJan 13, 2026 04:26 PM IST

The Pune Grand Tour is a Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) 2.2-level race. The event will have teams from 35 countries.(Express Archive)

Jitendra Dudi, District Collector, Pune, has said the upcoming Pune Grand Tour will help boost the rural economy and tourism because a significant chunk of the 437 km of roads built for the cycle race is situated in rural areas.

Around 75 km of the race will be in the Pune Municipal Corporation limits, 52 km in the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation limits, and the remaining track length in rural areas, he said in an interview with The Indian Express and Loksatta on Monday.

He said, “There are a lot of flowers in Maval. The Dutch rose is very famous and of very good quality. Farmers there are not able to export it because they have to put it in a truck and send it very delicately. And when the truck moves, it gets damaged. So he can only send it to Pune. He cannot explore the market of Europe, where during Valentine’s Day, it turns into gold. Such things that we never imagined while we were organising this tour.”

Also Read | Can Pune roads host international cycling event? Rs 500 crore budget, speed breakers to disappear and cushioned barriers to come on mountain stretches

Dudi also said the race would be broadcast online and on TV in 35 countries, displaying the city and the villages on a global level. He said the authorities in the villages had been instructed to keep the roads clear. They can create kamans (decorative arches) and organise traditional music events to welcome the cyclists and display their culture on a big stage, he added.

The Pune Grand Tour is a Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) 2.2-level race. The event will have teams from 35 countries, including the Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Belgium, Germany, Bulgaria, and Australia, and four stages. It will begin on January 19 and end on January 23.

The Pune district administration has said the Government has spent over Rs 500 crore on roads to make the track suitable for the international cycling event.

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