The driving force behind India's successful 2032 UCI World Championships bid has an even bigger goal in mind as cycling is set for its first-ever rainbow jersey race in the country - bringing a new Grand Tour to the sport.
Jitendra Dudi, the official behind Pune’s bid for the championships, wants India to one day host cycling's fourth Grand Tour and thinks that the sport could become as big as cricket - the country's most popular sport - by the time the best riders in the world land in for the Championships.
After the first edition of the Pune Grand Tour in January this year, India bid to host the 2032 Championships as the official claimed the UCI encouraged organisers to consider hosting the event.
It beat a bid from the Netherlands as UCI Congress made it official in September. Now, the country is intent in working to produce stronger riders for when 2032 rolls around.
“With the support of the UCI, I’m sure cycling will become hugely popular. In the future, maybe even as popular as cricket,” he told Wielerflits.
“Hopefully, by the time the Worlds come to Pune, we will already have some riders from our country competing at the highest level in their category. That would be our biggest success for cycling.”
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Dudi thinks India 2032 will be biggest event in cycling history
He thinks that championships can be the biggest in the sport's history, pointing to fans roadside and television numbers.
“I’m convinced that when the championships come to India, it will be the biggest Worlds in the history of cycling, both in the number of people watching live at the roadside and the fans following the races on television.
“After the first edition of the Pune Grand Tour, we got a very good proposal from the UCI: ‘You should bid for the 2032 Worlds, and if your bid is good, maybe we’ll give it to you."
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2032 Worlds only the beginning
The official doesn't only have eyes on the rainbow jersey. He believes that the country can one day produce an event to rival all three of the Grand Tours and hopes that its hosting will create interest in developing cycling infrastructure in the region and beyond.
“The 2032 Worlds are only the beginning of the legacy we want to create in Pune. Our goal is very big. We want to build something as big as the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia or the Vuelta a España. A new Grand Tour is what we want to achieve.
“When cycling comes back to India every year with the Pune Grand Tour and with the Worlds in 2032, a culture will develop where people use the bike more and more. I’m convinced people will start asking for a full network of cycle paths so they can ride from one part of the city to another."
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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