New Delhi, Dec 16 : The Pune Grand Tour 2026, Indiaâ??s first-ever UCI 2.2 multi-stage road cycling race, on Tuesday unveiled its heritage-inspired Trophy at an august gathering in New Delhi.

Crafted by the coppersmiths of Pune, famously known as the Tambat Aali community, the Pune Grand Tour Trophy is a symbol of the new Indiaâ??s spirit, scale, and ambition to achieve newer heights. Over the next 15 days, the glittering Trophy will travel across India, covering Rajasthan, Gujarat, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra state, carrying a message that India is ready to take its place on the global cycling map with pride, ambition, and a race rooted in heritage.

The trophy unveiling event brought together notable dignitaries at the national capital, led by Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, and Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President PT Usha, unveiling the Pride of Pune. They were joined by Pankaj Singh, President, Cycling Federation of India (CFI), Jitendra Dudi (IAS), Pune District Collector, Onkar Singh, Chairman CFI, and Maninder Pal Singh, Secretary General, CFI, on the occasion.

The Pune Grand Tour is a four-day, four-stage 437-km continental team menâ??s road race, expected to witness over 150 professional international cyclists from 26 countries in action, from 19 to 23 January 2026. The historic first UCI 2.2 race in India is organised by the Government of Maharashtra and Pune District Administration, along with the Cycling Federation of India.

Bespoke Trophy Design

The Pune Grand Tour Trophy isnâ??t just copper shaped into an object; it holds the pulse of a sport, the grit of the athletes who chase its glory, and the memory of the land it comes from. The Pune Grand Tour trophy was imagined with all of that in mind.

Its silhouette comes from the eight forts that sit along the race route, each a reminder of strategy, resilience, and the legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Those forts donâ??t just mark geography; they represent the spirit that built Puneâ??s identity. Their influence appears in the trophyâ??s eightfold structure and in the eight-faced mudra, a quiet nod to the cityâ??s heritage and the stories it carries forward.

At its heart, the trophy opens into a swirling cavity, almost like a breath drawn inward -- mirroring the shape of a velodrome. Anyone who has watched cyclists train here knows the rhythm: the steady rise of speed, the discipline, the repeated return to the same line until the movement becomes instinct. That inner vortex is a tribute to that process, that private battle every rider faces long before race day.

The trophy is forged entirely from copper, honouring the craftsmen of Tambat Aali, who have spent generations perfecting a skill that requires both power and precision. The piece spans 480mm, but its real presence comes from the countless hammer strikes that form its surface. Each mark reflects the cadence of a cyclist pushing through fatigue, finding their rhythm, and refusing to fall out of motion. It is, in a way, a sculpture of perseverance.

/IANS