Cameron Scott of Li Ning Star, China, won Stage 3 of the Pune Grand Tour 2026 on Thursday, prevailing in a sprint finish after the cycling race’s most demanding stage through the Western Ghats.

Scott, who hails from Australia, clocked 3 hours 4 minutes 13 seconds to take the Western Ghats Gateway stage. He edged out Georgios Bouglas of Burgos Burpellet BH (Spain) with Timothy Dupont of Tarteletto-Isorex (Belgium) completing the podium. All three were credited with the same finishing time after a long day of attrition.

Zeb Kyffin of Terengganu Cycling Team (Malaysia) finished fourth while Clement Alleno of Burgos Burpellet BH crossed the line next and claimed the Polka Dot Jersey after moving to the top of the King of the Mountains standings. Overall leader Luke Mudgway finished sixth, also on the same time.

Despite missing the podium, Mudgway retained the Yellow Jersey and strengthened his hold on the sprint classification, earning the Green Jersey as best sprinter.

After three stages, Mudgway leads the general classification in a cumulative time of 7 hours 36 minutes 10 seconds, holding a 14-second advantage over Alan Carter Bettles of Roojai Insurance Winspace (Thailand). Yorben Lauryssen of Tarteletto-Isorex remains third overall, 17 seconds off the lead.

“It was a lot harder than people expected,” Scott said. “The first two climbs were tough and the pace really stayed on over the top. 

“There were lots of attacks from the other teams and the race didn’t really stop until we got through the next town and onto the straight roads, but even then it was a little bit crosswind, so it was actually quite a tough day.”

Scott said the twisting roads over the climbs proved decisive. “They were really twisty and I had a lot of fun actually. Lots of corners and just high-speed single file.”

The 134km stage rolled out from Saswad Municipal Council at Chandan Tekadi and finished at Vidya Pratishthan, Pencil Chowk, Baramati. Early climbs split the peloton, with repeated accelerations and exposed sections leaving riders little chance to recover.

In the secondary classifications, Jambaljamts Sainbayar of Burgos Burpellet BH retained the Orange Jersey as best Asian rider. 

Dutch rider Viego Tijssen of Wielerploeg Groot Amsterdam (Netherland) again claimed the White Jersey for best young rider, while Harshveer Singh Sekhon of the Indian National Team reclaimed the Blue Jersey as India’s leading rider.

Stage 4, the Pune Pride Loop, will be held on Friday. The 95km stage features 578 metres of elevation gain and winds through Pune’s city centre, including Shaniwar Wada, setting up a likely high-speed finish. With the overall gaps measured in seconds, the race remains finely poised heading into the final stages.

The Pune Grand Tour 2026 is India’s first UCI-classified 2.2 multi-stage men’s cycling road race. The 437km event features 171 riders from 29 teams representing 35 countries and concludes on Friday.

Owing to its UCI classification, the Pune Grand Tour offers riders the opportunity to earn valuable ranking points that count toward qualification for the LA 2028 Olympics.

Pune Grand Tour 2026 Stage 3 summary

Podium

Winner – Cameron Scott (Li Ning Star, China) – 3:04:13

2nd place – Georgios Bouglas (Burgos Burpellet BH, Spain) 

3rd place – Timothy Dupont (Tarteletto–Isorex, Belgium) 

Jersey Leaders after Stage 3

Yellow Jersey (General Classification – Time): Luke Mudgway (Li Ning Star, China)

Green Jersey (Points Classification): Luke Mudgway (Li Ning Star, China) 

Polka Dot Jersey (Mountains/KOM): Clement Alleno (Burgos Burpellet BH, Spain) 

Orange Jersey (Best Asian Rider): Jambaljamts Sainbayar (BBH, Mongolia)

White Jersey (Best Young Rider): Viego Tijssen (Wielerploeg Groot Amsterdam)

Blue Jersey (Best Indian Rider): Harshveer Singh Sekhon