Pune chosen to host 2032 UCI Road World Championships, first edition in India

Pune won the bid to stage the UCI Road World Championships in 2032, bringing the event to India for the first time, the Union Cycliste Internationale announced at its Congress in Montréal, Canada on 2026-09-24. The candidature was led jointly by the Government of Maharashtra and the Cycling Federation of India with support from the Government of India.

The bid presentation to the UCI emphasised Pune’s aim to become a global cycling destination and to leave a lasting legacy for the district, the state of Maharashtra and India. The announcement coincides with India’s wider sporting initiatives referenced in the National Sports Policy 2025 and comments from Prime Minister Narendra Modi about hosting the 2036 Olympic Games, all cited in the bid narrative as part of the country’s sporting ambitions.

Pune prevailed in a final two-way contest against Groningen/Drenthe in the Netherlands after Colombia and Mexico were eliminated earlier in the process, with the decision taken at the UCI Congress during the 2026 UCI Road World Championships. The candidature process included a UCI inspection from September 4–6 that assessed key venues and proposed race infrastructure such as the Balewadi Stadium and the Pune University circuit.

A senior Maharashtra delegation attended the final presentation in Montréal to champion Pune’s bid, comprising Mr. Ranjit Singh Deol, Principal Secretary, School Education and Sports Department; Mr. Deepak Singla, Commissioner, Sports and Youth Services; Mr. Rajesh Deshmukh, Secretary to the Deputy Chief Minister and Sports Minister, Government of Maharashtra; Mr. Jitendra Dudi, District Collector, Pune; Mr. Maninder Pal Singh, Secretary General, Cycling Federation of India; and Onkar Singh , Former Secretary General, Asian Cycling Confederation. The formal candidature presentation in Montréal was delivered by Mr. Jitendra Dudi and Maninder Pal Singh.

Pune’s bid drew on the city’s experience hosting the Bajaj Pune Grand Tour, described in the submission as a UCI 2.2 stage race whose routes and operational setup were used to demonstrate readiness. The recce presented race routes implemented for the Grand Tour and detailed operational arrangements, including proposed official hotels, start and finish locations and accommodation, citing coordination across more than 25 government departments and 437 km of race-ready roads.

David Lappartient, President, Union Cycliste Internationale, commented on the presentation: “The report on the Bajaj Pune Grand Tour presented to the UCI Management Committee by the delegation led by Pune District Collector Mr Jitendra Dudi is extremely encouraging. Cycling continues to develop in new territories where it has the potential to become a leading sport. India is a country where our sport has a bright future, thanks to the commitment and enthusiasm of key stakeholders.”

The bid dossier referenced recent Championship scale, noting that the 2025 UCI Road World Championships in Kigali featured 734 riders from 113 countries, attracted around two million spectators, generated a cumulative television audience of nearly 300 million viewers worldwide and involved 308 media representatives from five continents. The UCI’s forthcoming host sequence cited in the announcement places the UCI Cycling World Championships in Haute-Savoie, France for 2027, the UCI Road World Championships in Abu Dhabi in 2028, Denmark in 2029, Brussels in 2030 and Trentino in 2031 before Pune in 2032.

Jitendra Dudi said: “This is a defining moment for Pune and the result of a shared vision between the Government of Maharashtra and the Cycling Federation of India. Hosting the UCI Road World Championships is not simply about hosting a cycling race; it places Pune and India on one of international cycling’s most visible annual stages, bringing together elite sport, mass public participation, global broadcasting, tourism, economic impact and destination branding. More importantly, it gives Pune the opportunity to strengthen its identity as a global city and leave a lasting legacy for cycling and sport in India.” Maninder Pal Singh added: “For Indian cycling, this is an opportunity to move from participation to performance and from hosting international races to becoming a part of cycling’s global conversation. The years leading to 2032 will be about creating stronger pathways for our athletes, coaches and technical officials, bringing international expertise into India and giving our riders greater exposure to the highest standards of the sport.”

The bid projects an event with mass engagement—including a candidature estimate of up to 2.5 million spectators—and sets out an operational roadmap that prioritises infrastructure, routes, athlete development, technical expertise, and sustainability through to 2032. Over the next six years the plan anticipates building on the Pune Grand Tour experience so the city will have six years of Grand Tour operations to inform delivery when the World Championships arrive in 2032.