The 2032 Road World Championships land in India

India has never had a professional cyclist or a World Tour team. It has only hosted a handful of UCI races in its history, and cycling is far from the top of the list of the most popular sports in the subcontinent. Yet the world governing body of cycling has decided to award the 2032 Road World Championships to India, a decision that has surprised many industry insiders.

Pune, the second-largest city in the state of Maharashtra, beat out the Dutch regions of Groningen and Drenthe in the bid to host the World Championships in six years. It will thus become only the fourth Asian city to host the major UCI event in a century, following Utsunomiya in 1990, Doha in 2016, and Abu Dhabi in 2028.

Cycling in India: A Short but Rapidly Growing History

India's relationship with professional cycling is relatively recent, but the movement is experiencing explosive growth in a nation where sport is almost a collective obsession. The national cycling federation was founded in 1946, and just two years later, Indian athletes took part in the 1948 London Olympic Games for the first time.

In the twenty-first century, however, Indian cycling has not made significant progress for several decades. A first attempt to host UCI races dates back to the 2010s, with well-funded road races in Mumbai, Delhi, and Jaipur, won by names like Elia Viviani and Robbie Hunter. But with declining funding and public interest, these races disappeared after 2013.

The turning point came this year. The Cycling Federation of India, in collaboration with the government of Maharashtra, organized the country's first UCI stage race: the Bajaj Pune Grand Tour , held in January. This event already represents an interesting testbed to monitor: approximately 2.5 million spectators gathered along the roads over the five stages, an impressive number that demonstrates the potential of the Indian market. The winner of the first edition was New Zealander Luke Mudgway, representing the Chinese team Li-Ning Star—a name to keep an eye on for those following emerging races in Asia.

The UCI's pressure and Amina Lanaya's blessing

Present at the final stage through the streets of Pune was UCI General Director Amina Lanaya, visibly impressed by what she saw. She immediately spoke to local journalists about the possibility of a future World Championships award. "Asia is capable and has shown it can do even more and even better," Lanaya said, according to the India Times. "Therefore, it could also be an opportunity to host the World Championships in India in the coming years, and this should be part of the roadmap we must build together with all the parties involved."

Organizers have already confirmed that the Pune Grand Tour will be upgraded to Category 2.1 in 2027, extending to six longer stages compared to the 2026 edition. Work is already underway to build 413 km of new roads, with an investment of over £49 million. The stated goal is to transform this race into one of the world's premier events, with the ambition of achieving ProSeries status as early as 2028.

India is also investing significantly in its talent pool. The young Harshita Jakhar has participated for two consecutive seasons in a UCI World Cycling Centre initiative in Brittany, while other riders are gaining opportunities in higher-level events. Particular attention is being paid to the track program, with former world champion Kévin Sireau serving until recently as the national sprint coach.

Also noteworthy is the Indian Cycling League project, which later foundered after the World Championships bid: a competition with ten franchise teams from across the country, designed to attract international talent.

The Olympic ambitions behind the choice

To understand India's enthusiasm for investing in road cycling, we need to broaden our perspective on the country's sports strategy. The city of Ahmedabad is among the favorites to host the 2036 Olympics. Since cycling has been an Olympic sport continuously since the 1896 Athens Games, organizing a major international cycling event could prove decisive for the ambitions of Ahmedabad, a city in Gujarat—the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi—which will also host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and has submitted a bid for the 2038 Asian Games.

The Secretary General of the Indian Cycling Federation, Maninder Pal Singh, emphasized that the Pune Grand Tour was a key step in demonstrating India's organizational capabilities to the world: "The Pune Grand Tour changed the way we view cycling in this country. Pune wasn't just about professional cycling, but also about showing the world what our country is capable of in terms of organizing and broadcasting sporting events."

Pal Singh revealed plans for massive investment in the sport across multiple disciplines, including new facilities, stadiums, and talent scouting programs. The federation's stated goal, at the time of those statements, was to host the World Cup before 2036.

The UCI's globalization mission

From the UCI's perspective, it might seem like a gamble to award its flagship event to a nation with so little organizing experience. Rwanda, which hosted the 2025 World Championships, might have seemed like an equally risky choice, but the East African country had already hosted 16 editions of the Tour du Rwanda before organizing the World Championships.

The UCI, however, is pursuing a clear strategy of internationalizing professional cycling, moving beyond the traditional Western European markets, as outlined in its Agenda 2030, the document that guides the current direction of the sport's governance.

This partly explains why the UCI has already awarded the World Championships to Rwanda in 2025, to the United Arab Emirates in 2028, and is evaluating a Japanese bid for the 2035 'Super World Championships', an event that will bring together 20 different cycling disciplines.

With this scenario in mind, it is not surprising that the UCI jumped at the chance to accept the Indian bid over the Dutch one, which would have represented the fourth consecutive European host.