Naveen John is feeling both excited and wistful ahead of The Pune Grand Tour. Photo: AFP/File
NEW DELHI:
Naveen John cannot help feeling both excited and wistful ahead of what he calls the “biggest opportunity” for an Indian rider.
Excited, because he will be racing in the first-ever multi-stage road race in India, a UCI 2.2 classified international cycling event. Sad, because it did not come when he was younger and not pushing 40 as he is now.
“Older men always wish they were younger,” John told Reuters in an online discussion. “One of the main reasons I remained in this sport for so long is because I knew something like this was round the corner.”
Spread across 437 kilometres and four stages, the Pune Grand Tour (PGT), which begins on Monday, will feature around 170 riders from 35 countries, including 12 locals.
Organisers hope the race will unlock cycling’s potential in the world’s most populous nation and put cycling at the centre of India’s Olympic planning.
“It’s not rocket science,” Maninder Pal Singh, secretary general of the Cycling Federation of India (CFI), told Reuters by phone.
“Cycling is the low-hanging fruit of all sports. All you need is a clear roadmap. The more events you host, the better cycling nation you become – as simple as that.
“We need more events, more exposure for our riders. Olympic medals will follow.”
Right now, with UCI events scarce in Asia and expensive in Europe, Olympic participation has remained a distant dream for John’s generation.
With Maharashtra committing long-term to it, however, the Pune race could mark a shift, especially as at least four other states have expressed interest in hosting similar events.
John remembers the countless emails and calls he made in 2016 before landing a contract with an Australian team, which made him the first Indian to join a professional outfit.
Home benefits
More home races would make it easier for younger riders to win professional contracts, he said.
“I see it happening. Earlier, you had to reach out to some European director, who’s never seen you race against other professionals. Now, if a rider finishes a stage race, he can reach out to a director in Australia or Spain, and say ‘I’ve done this race and I’m 21. Can you give me a contract?'”
Given the number of medals available, CFI’s Singh said, cycling should be central to India’s Olympic planning.
“Cycling offers the third highest number of medals in the Olympics. You prepare one rider for multiple medals. Look at the money you need to spend in certain team sports where you target just two medals.”
With India bidding for the 2036 Olympics, John said the timing was ideal.
“Ten years is sort of a perfect time where there’s a sense of urgency and also enough time to make things happen,” he added.
“Seeing the first Indian winner of a UCI stage race, I think, will happen in eight to 10 years and that aligns with the Olympic goal also because that’s the level we need to be at.”
Pune District Collector Jitendra Dudi said they wanted to market the city as a global tourism hub through the event.
“It’s going to be an annual event and our preparation is of the ProSeries level,” Dudi told Reuters.
“UCI is looking at new markets and India is a huge untapped market for cycling.”
