Shooting Cooper Connolly: Australia’s 22-year-old star
The five-day event, which is scheduled from January 19 to 23, will put India on the global professional cycling map.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!For the first time, international teams will race across India’s cities, villages, ghats and highways in a UCI-accredited tour that offers key ranking points that will ultimately help them qualify for the Olympics.
A peloton like never before
A total of 171 riders from 29 teams representing 35 countries will take on 437 kilometers of racing. The route passes through the Deccan Plateau, the Sahyadri Mountains and the sprawling urban area of Pune.From a short 7.5km prologue at Goodluck Chowk, the race winds onto village roads at Mulsi–Maval, climbs over the Maratha Heritage Circuit, opens on the fast Western Ghats Gateway stage and finishes with the technical Pune Pride Loop in the city.India will field 12 riders in a UCI road race for the first time. The contingent is divided into two teams: the Indian National Team and the Indian Development Team. This means that it is the largest representation of the country at this level.
‘This is very big for us’
For Indian national team member Surya Thathu of Maharashtra, racing at home has something significant.“First of all, this thing is very big for us because it is happening in Pune, India for the first time at this level of competition,” he told TimesofIndia.com.“We are trying to find it outside India. Every year we travel for a competition like this and it happens in India. It is a very big stage for us.”Until now, exposure has cost something dear.“If I want to race in a year, I will go to Belgium, Dubai and other countries,” explained Surya. “In Belgium, you’ll see almost every week that they have races. When you race in an environment like that, where no one is afraid of losing, you grow up immediately.”“Here in India, we have only one event like the national championship. Everyone there wants to win a medal.”The Pune Grand Tour aims to change that equation by bringing aggressive, international racing to Indian roads. And the players are completely behind the proposal.
Sticking to family links
For another member of the team, Vishavjeet Singh from Punjab, cycling is a legacy. “Actually, cycling is my family game,” he told the website.“My father was a cyclist, my uncle was also a cyclist. My older brother was also a cyclist. My sister was also into cycling. And I’m the third generation in the family to do cycling.”And it also bore him fruit.“I have won a bronze medal in the 2022 Asian Championships,” added Vishavjeet. “A first for India… the first Indian endurance athlete to bring home a medal for India at the Asian Championships,” said Vishavjeet.But road racing presents a new challenge.“It’s my first multi-day road race of this kind,” admitted the track specialist. “I will go for a good position. But also for my team. I will help as much as I can,” he said.
The invisible cost of speed
However, behind the glamor of the peloton lies a financial reality that few outside the sport can fully understand.“It is true that cycling is very expensive,” said Dinesh Kumar. “There are bicycles for Rs 8 lakh, Rs 10 lakh, Rs 12 lakh. The price of the bike I will use here is around Rs 10 lakh.”“The international players will also use the same kind of cycles. The equipment is the same.”Remembering the price of speed, Surya added, “It’s all about supporting our family.“My brother stopped playing. He was a football player. He decided to stop and start working because both brothers can’t do sports. He sacrificed it for me.”
Coach’s view
For the Indian development team, the Pune Grand Tour will be less about podiums and more about progression. Coach Amit Jangra, who represented India at the Commonwealth Games, sees it as a milestone.“It’s not about pressure, it’s about exposure,” he said. “It will be a milestone for their future.”Preparation for both teams was thorough with camps in Patiala. From adapting to near-freezing temperatures a few weeks ago to the mild winter in Pune, the coach feels the players are now in good shape to show their mettle. He feels that results will come with discipline.
Vote
What do you think is the biggest advantage of hosting the Pune Grand Tour in India?
“We are focusing on the training process,” Jangra added. “If we proceed quietly, consistently and with discipline, the result will surely come.”The aim is to finish well and give our best,” Dinesh said. “So that this tour continues and we get a chance to play events in the future.”As the peloton rolls out of Goodluck Chowk on Monday, children in villages and city streets will be watching riders on machines worth more than cars.Years ago, a schoolboy in Rourkela thought a cyclist looked like a foreigner. Foreign riders will be looking at Indian cyclists as equals this week.