Luke Mudgway of Li Ning Star, China, won the opening road stage of the Pune Grand Tour 2026 on Tuesday, claiming the Mulshi-Maval Miles after an 87.2km race decided by a sprint finish.
Mudgway, who hails from New Zealand, stopped the clock at 2 hours 21 seconds, edging out Andreas Matildas of Estonia’s Quick Pro Team, who finished second in 2:00:27, with Belgium’s Yorben Lauryssen of Tarteletto-Isorex third in 2:00:30.
Under UCI regulations for 2.2 stage races, the top three finishers earned time bonuses of 10, six and four seconds, respectively, giving Mudgway an early advantage in the general classification.
“It was really fast from the start,” Mudgway said. “I stayed near the front, especially over the first categorised climb. After that there were two or three groups, and I just sprinted for the finish. I had two teammates there who helped me, so I’m happy I could finish it off for the team.”
Mudgway said the descent off the first categorised climb proved decisive. “It was really steep and technical, and that’s where we got the gap,” the Kiwi cyclist added.
Earlier, Greece’s Georgios Bouglas claimed the first intermediate sprint, ahead of Tamar Spiero of Team Wielerploeg Groot Amsterdam, Netherlands, and India’s Vishwajeet Singh.
The cycling race was neutralised for approximately 23 minutes shortly after the first intermediate sprint following an on-road incident involving riders in the second group of the peloton.
Under UCI safety protocols, officials temporarily suspended the stage while medical teams attended to affected riders and mechanics addressed damaged bicycles.
In the mountains classification, France’s Killian Larpe of Sélection Nationale Team France Défense took maximum points at the first King of the Mountains checkpoint. Cristian Railaenu of Li Ning Star, however, finished among the top three at every climb to collect five points and claim the ‘Polka Dot’ jersey.
Stage 1 also produced multiple jersey winners. Jambalijamts Sainbayar of Burgos Burpellet BH, Spain, claimed the Orange Jersey as best Asian rider, while Tamar Spiero earned the White Jersey as best young rider. India’s Harshveer Singh Sekhon of the Indian National Team took the Blue Jersey as the leading domestic rider.
Stage 1, the Maratha Heritage Circuit, will be held on Wednesday. The 105.3km route features 1,051 metres of elevation gain and passes through Purandar Fort, Sinhagad and Khadakwasla Lake, presenting the first major climbing test of the race.
The Pune Grand Tour 2026, which features four stages, concludes on Friday.
Pune Grand Tour 2026 Stage 1 summary
Podium
Winner – Luke Mudgway (Li Ning Star, China) – 02:00:21
2nd place – Andreas Matildas (Quick Pro Team, Estonia) – 02:00:27
3rd place – Yorben Lauryssen (Tarteletto–Isorex, Belgium) – 02:00:30
Jersey Leaders after Stage 1
Yellow Jersey (General Classification – Time): Luke Mudgway (LNS, China)
Green Jersey (Points Classification): Luke Mudgway (LNS, China) – 22 points
Polka Dot Jersey (Mountains/KOM): Cristian Raileanu (Bib 16, LNS, China) – 5 points
Orange Jersey (Best Asian Rider): Jambaljamts Sainbayar (Bib 4, BBH, Mongolia)
White Jersey (Best Young Rider): Tamar Spiero (Bib 263, WIG, Netherlands)
Blue Jersey (Best Indian Rider): Harshveer Singh Sekhon (Bib 155, IND, India)