Olympic pathway challenge

Indian National Team Chief Coach: The upcoming Pune Grand Tour 2026, the first UCI 2.2 Continental Cycling Road Race of the country, is a key event not only for Indian riders but also for Indian cycling, as both will benefit from this mega event, said Maxat Ayazabayev, Chief Coach of the national cycling team, on Friday.

“It is extremely important for India to host more and more such races for the development of our riders. The Pune Grand Tour will give our riders valuable race experience of an international standard on home roads. The routes, organisation, and overall preparation have been impressive, and we are hopeful of delivering strong results,” Ayazabayev said at a press conference for the Indian team on Friday.

On the occasion, the Indian riders talked about how competing against strong foreign opponents in front of a home crowd, the great infrastructure and the facilities that have been prepared for the event will help them improve themselves.