Universities, Colleges Urged to Support Pune Grand Tour 2026: District Collector Jitendra Dudi
Pune, 30th December 2025: District Magistrate Jitendra Dudi today appealed to universities, colleges and social organisations across Pune district to actively participate in and support the ‘Bajaj Pune Grand Tour 2026’, a multi-stage international cycling competition aimed at positioning Pune as a global hub for tourism and sports.
Addressing a coordination meeting at the multipurpose hall of the District Magistrate’s Office, Dudi said institutions such as universities, colleges, the National Cadet Corps (NCC), National Service Scheme (NSS), Nehru Yuva Kendra, sports associations and gram panchayats must work together to ensure the success of the event. District planning officers, representatives of educational institutions, youth organisations, sports bodies, along with sarpanches and gram sevaks from the concerned villages, were present.
Highlighting Pune’s strong cycling culture, Dudi said the city is widely known as a “city of bicycles”, with over 50,000 citizens cycling daily on various routes and more than 10,000 cyclists participating in world-class competitions. He said the ‘Bajaj Pune Grand Tour 2026’ is being organised by integrating Pune’s cycling heritage, geographical diversity and biodiversity, while also encouraging cyclists to aim for Olympic-level competition.
The event, planned on the lines of the prestigious ‘Tour de France’, will be held from January 19 to 23, 2026, and has been officially included in the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) cycling calendar. The race will be broadcast live worldwide.
The competition will be conducted in four stages, covering 437 kilometres across nine talukas of Pune district. A total of 176 cyclists from 40 countries are expected to participate, generating significant enthusiasm at both local and international levels.
Dudi urged universities and colleges to deploy students as volunteers for the event. He also appealed to sarpanches to motivate village-level organisations, Ganesh mandals, NCC and NSS students to take part and welcome cyclists in a traditional and cultural manner along the route.
The district magistrate assured that suggestions put forward by representatives of educational institutions, youth organisations, sports associations and gram panchayats would be considered positively and followed up with appropriate action.
To participated in the Pune Grand Tour, visit https://punegrandtour.in/contact/
