Pune Grand Tour 2026: Luke Mudgway powers Li Ning Star to historic victory in finale

Harshveer Singh Sekhon of the Indian National Team won the Blue Jersey as India’s leading performer.

The Pune Grand Tour 2026 concluded on Sunday with a fitting finale, as the Pune Pride Loop delivered colour, crowds and closure to a week that has reshaped India’s place on the global cycling map. 

Stage Four traced a 95-kilometre circuit through the heart of the city, rising 578 metres and weaving past Pune’s modern arteries and historic icons, including Shaniwar Wada, before this race reached its conclusion.

When the dust settled after 437 gruelling kilometres, Li Ning Star, China stood atop the team General Classification with a combined time of 28:41:19. Anchored by the imperious form of Luke Mudgway, the Chinese outfit delivered a masterclass in consistency and control across all four stages.

Spanish powerhouse Burgos Burpellet BH, the only Pro-team in the inaugural Bajaj Pune Grand Tour claimed second place at 28:42:09, while Terengganu Cycling Team, Thailand rounded out the podium with 28:48:19, underlining the truly international depth of the field.

At the centre of it all was 29 year-old Mudgway from New Zealand who emerged as the undisputed champion of the inaugural edition.

Competing against 164 elite riders from 28 teams representing 35 countries across five continents, he finished with an overall time of 09:33:04 for the Stage 4 race today.

The first-ever photo of all jersey winners 🧡🔴⚪️💛💚💙🤍#BajajPuneGrandTour pic.twitter.com/fp4zCFktyA

— Bajaj Pune Grand Tour (@PuneGrandTour) January 23, 2026

His closest challenger, Alan Carter Bettles of Roojai Insurance Winspeed, Thailand, trailed by just 14 seconds, while Yorben Lauryssen of Tarteletto–Isorex, Belgium finished third at 33 seconds behind.

Mudgway’s victories on Stage 1 and Stage 2 proved decisive. By establishing a buffer early, he forced rivals into a chasing role that became increasingly difficult to sustain as the race unfolded.

Mudgway retained the ‘Yellow Jersey’ from the moment he claimed it on the opening day at the Mulshi–Maval Miles and never relinquished it.

His consistency in the sprints also earned him the ‘Green Jersey’ as the race’s most prolific points scorer, capping a week in which he combined resilience and tactical awareness.

However, reflecting on his triumph, Mudgway credited collective effort over individual brilliance, “I have a really good team. They looked after me from start to finish.

As you saw the last two days, we had, two other riders win. So, we’ve won with three different riders and, yeah, a lot of hard work, a lot of teamwork, a lot of training, a lot of hours, everything to get the win today. So, yeah, this one’s for my team,” Mudgway said.

Mudgway was particularly impressed with the Pune crowd and added, “Today was amazing, actually. I’ve never seen crowds like this before. There were so many people, the whole way around the course.

It was amazing, and it was fantastic to race in front of everybody. I hope everyone enjoyed the racing and, yeah, I’d love to come back next year.”

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On the road, honours on Stage 4 went to Aliaksei Shnyrko of Li Ning Star, who powered to victory on the city circuit. His teammate Cameron Nicholas Scott followed closely in second, while Dylan Hopkins of Roojai Insurance Winspeed claimed third.

With the General Classification effectively settled after Stage Three, the result had little impact on the final standings, but it underlined Li Ning Star’s dominance and provided a celebratory end to the week.

Elsewhere, the remaining jerseys found their owners. Clement Alleno of Burgos Burpellet BH secured the ‘Polka Dot’ jersey as King of the Mountains after amassing 15 points, ahead of Stefan Benetton of EuroCyclingTrips – CCN, Guam and Cristian Railaenu of Li Ning Star.

The ‘Orange Jersey’ for ‘Best Asian Rider’ remained with Jambaljamts Sainbayar, of Burgos Burpellet BH, Spain, one of the standout performers of the tour, while Dutch talent Tijssen Viego of Wielerploeg Groot Amsterdam, Netherlands, again claimed the ‘White Jersey’ as the ‘Best Young Rider – U23’.

India’s Harshveer Singh Sekhon of the Indian National Team finished the week as ‘India’s Leading Performer’, earning the ‘Blue Jersey’.

Amina Lanaya, Director General of the Union Cycliste Internationale, said: “I have goosebumps at this level and trust me, wow, such emotions and India can be proud, really. 

I think, you know, the bar has been raised very high and India, you know, just after the first edition, has proven that it can deliver the best-class event.

On site and absolutely thrilled to witness the energy and the huge crowds at the @PuneGrandTour 2026! 🇮🇳So exciting to see the continued growth of #Cycling in India at this historic five-day event – the country’s first UCI 2.2-category men’s multi-stage continental race.… pic.twitter.com/q1Rs1RUEsp

— Amina Lanaya (@Amina_Lanaya) January 23, 2026

So, I’m really, really looking forward to work together with the local authorities, the National Federation, to make cycling growing even higher.”

“Everybody was happy, you know, only smiling faces along the roads. And I think that cycling is a new sport, in the minds of Indian people.

I would like that cycling takes a big place like, cricket, for example, take in the hearts of the Indians. And that’s our goal, that’s what we want to achieve because we have the right fans at the right place.” She adds

As a Union Cycliste Internationale 2.2 event offering ranking points towards the LA 2028 Summer Olympics, the Pune Grand Tour carried genuine sporting consequences. But its legacy may run deeper.

Over five demanding days, India showcased its ability to host elite, multi-stage racing at the highest level. And as Mudgway rolled into history wearing Yellow, the message from Pune was unmistakable: this was not just the end of a race, but the beginning of a new era.

Stage Winner
Rank	Bib	Name	Team	Time
1	11	SHNYRKO Aliaksei	Li Ning Star, China	01:56:54
2	12	SCOTT Cameron Nicholas	Li Ning Star, China
3	34	HOPKINS Dylan	Roojai Insurance Winspace, Thailand
General Classification – Team
Rank	Team Name	Team Nation	Team Manager
1	Li Ning Star	China	PIASETSKI Aliaksandr
2	Burgos Burpellet BH	Spain	BOI Jetske
3	Terengganu Cycling Team	Malaysia	AZIZ Mohd Saiful Anuar Bin
Best Indian Rider – Blue Jersey
Rank	Bib	Name	Team
1	155	SEKHON Harshveer Singh	Indian National Team
2	273	SARDA Manav	Indian Development Team
3	154	KUMAR Dinesh	Indian National Team
Best Young Rider – White Jersey
Rank	Bib	Name	Team
1	265	TUSSEN Vigo	Wielerploeg Groot Amsterdam, Netherlands
2	263	SPIERO Tamar	Wielerploeg Groot Amsterdam, Netherlands
3	105	SYELHAN NURAHMAT Muhammad	ASC Monsters, Indonesia
Best Asian Rider – Orange Jersey
Rank	Bib	Name	Team
1	4	SAINBAYAR Jambaljamts	Burgos Burpellet BH, Spain
2	32	BATSAIKHAN Tegshbayar	Roojai Insurance Winspace, Thailand
3	105	SYELHAN NURAHMAT Muhammad	ASC Monsters, Indonesia
General Classification – Mountains (KOM) – Polka Dot
Rank	Bib	Name	Team	Points
1	5	ALLENO Clement	Burgos Burpellet BH	15
2	81	BENNETT Stefan	Eurocyclingtrips – CCN, Guam	12
3	16	RAILEANU Cristian	Li Ning Star, China	10
General Classification on Points – Green Jersey
Rank	Bib	Name	Team
1	14	MUDGWAY Luke	Li Ning Star, China
2	6	BOUGLAS Georgios	Burgos Burpellet BH, Spain
3	33	BETTLES Carter Alan	Roojai Insurance Winspace, Thailand
General Classification on Time – Yellow Jersey
Rank	Bib	Name	Team
1	14	MUDGWAY Luke	Li Ning Star, China
2	33	BETTLES Carter Alan	Roojai Insurance Winspace, Thailand
3	54	LAURYSSEN Yorben	Tarteletto Isorex, Belgium

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