While humongous money poured into improving road quality and absolute road closures through parts of the city have ensured the Pune Grand Tour has registered positively on minds of experts, it’s the city’s crowds that have completely bowled over the European experts who trooped into town this last week.
Ahead of the start of Stage 4, Graham Jones, a veteran commentator with five years Tour de France experience, said, “I’ve seen many races my whole life, and many in Asia, but this is possibly the best 2.2 level race I’ve seen in terms of funding and organisation when starting from scratch.” But what stood out for him have been the thousands who have lined the streets, some in fancy dress, waving assorted flags and cheering riders on, even if the peloton wasn’t exactly recognised names. “I’ve never seen anything like this. Non-stop crowds, and while too many people can be concerning, they have been very well-behaved. Even the Tour de France has wild people taking selfies and obstructing riders. But not here. Pune crowds have been exemplary,” he said.
2.2 is the fourth-tier of Pro Cycling road races, and Pune opted for full road closures, instead of rolling closures and deployed around 3000 policemen to ensure no cyclist was obstructed. “The road marshalls have not allowed cows or dogs to be on track, but the crowds have literally been the stars,” said Ned Boulting who has commentated at Tour de France for 23 years. “Every time the cyclists passed through a village, crowds would click photos and cheer from a safe distance leaving their shops, homes and offices. Don’t take that for granted. It doesn’t happen in Europe. It’s 5 or 6 times more than any race, and we’ve done some big races in China, where just 15-20 people turned up,” he added.
What also boggled the visiting talking experts was Pune authorities laying 473 kms of roads just for a race. “It’s a mystery why such a rich, diverse country doesn’t have more riders going pro in Europe, when Uzbekistan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Mongolia are. Indian cycling needed a moment, and to take a risk with investment. Pune pulled it off,” he says. “Broadcast drones have caught some breathtaking shots of forts, temples and roads snaking through mountains, lakes and villages. But the real gain will be if someone wins a stage at Tour de France 10 years from now and says I first got inspired when cyclists passed my house in Pune. That’s legacy. That’s how European cyclists start,” he adds.
“Visibility of the event on TV is most important or you end up being a country that watches just cricket,” says the South London resident. He was immersed in the Pune experience, visiting Agakhan Palace and Lal Mahal, learning about Chhatrapati Shivaji’s capers. “I can eat Indian curry for the rest of my life but this time I discovered poha,” he says gleefully.
An Italian pro rider, Jacopo Guarnieri, a regular at Tour de France for 8 years, pinged Boulting on Thursday saying he was intrigued by the race. “He called saying it looked fantastic on TV. Expect many bigger European teams next year,”
Graham Jones though had started out skeptical, but added that Pune ought to get ambitious and add another extra day of racing with 150 kms average routes.
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Amina Lanaya, vice president of the international body UCI, also noted cyclists has grand ambitions to get themselves fans comparable to cricket in India. “I’m thrilled with the crowds. Cycling has free entry unlike stadium sports, so that’s not a surprise. But It’s not just the number but smiling crowds happy to welcome riders. They need an Indian rider to identify with, because we want to ensure Cycling takes the same place that cricket enjoys. We are going to help the national Federation raise levels of road risers, but also focus on BMX. We will get more Indians to our Switzerland centre,” she says.
When asked what other Indian cities ought to do to host similar races, she chuckled about Pune DC Jitendra Dudi, “Get a good district collector. He got things done.”
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