The 2027 edition will begin on Republic Day and will consist of six stages. The first edition of the race in 2026 consisted of five stages and one prologue. Similar to last year, two Indian teams will be participating in the 2027 edition.The hugely successful Pune Grand Tour cycling race is set to undergo a massive upgrade in its second edition in 2027. The new route will be around 950-km long, more than double the first edition’s route length of 437 km, District Collector Jitendra Dudi told The Indian Express. The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the governing body of cycling, has also given a nod to upgrade the race to UCI 2.1 from UCI 2.2, informed Dudi.A minimum of Rs 700 crore will be spent on the roadworks by various agencies to develop the 950 km route to international standards, said Dudi. “PMRDA will spend some Rs 260 crore, PWD will spend around Rs 362 crore, and PMC-PCMC will spend their respective budgets for their roads. In total we can say approximately Rs 700 crore will be spent on road upgradation and construction. We have already done the recce and the routes have been finalised. Very soon we will start the work of these roads,” he elaborated.When asked if he was confident the roads will survive the monsoon, Dudi said, “Absolutely. They will survive. Not just monsoon, the roads are not going anywhere for five years. And again we will have the same liability clause that the road will have to be maintained by the same contractor for five years. And the same criteria of the Indian Road Congress and UCI will be maintained.”Up to 200 km of the 950 km route will be within Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad city limits, more than double the 99 km route in the cities in the first edition.The 2027 edition will begin on Republic Day and will consist of six stages. The first edition of the race in 2026 consisted of five stages and one prologue. Similar to last year, two Indian teams will be participating in the 2027 edition.The upgrade to UCI 2.1 level means that higher level teams and players will be participating in the race. This time, the race will have no prologue as it has been upgraded to a UCI 2.1 race, said Dudi. According to the UCI website, a 2.1 race is a third tier professional stage race. In comparison, 2.2 races are non-professional stage races under the auspices of the UCI.Further, Dudi has been invited to the Management Committee meeting of UCI from June 2 to 4 at Desenzano del Garda, Italy, to deliver a detailed presentation and discuss his proposed roadmap for the Pune Grand Tour.Story continues below this adThe road upgradation in the previous edition, consisting of even gutter covers and high quality roads, earned praise from citizens. Soham Shah is a Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Pune. A journalism graduate with a background in fact-checking, he brings a meticulous and research-oriented approach to his current reporting. Professional Background Role: Correspondent coverig education and city affairs in Pune. Specialization: His primary beat is education, but he also maintains a strong focus on civic issues, public health, human rights, and state politics. Key Strength: Soham focuses on data-driven reporting on school and college education, government reports, and public infrastructure. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) His late 2025 work highlights a transition from education-centric reporting to hard-hitting investigative and human-rights stories: 1. Investigations & Governance "Express Impact: Mother's name now a must to download birth certificate from PMC site" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on a significant policy change by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) following his earlier reports on gender inclusivity in administrative documents. "44-Acre Mahar Land Controversy: In June, Pune official sought land eviction at Pawar son firm behest" (Nov 9, 2025): An investigative piece on real estate irregularities involving high-profile political families. 2. Education & Campus Life Faculty crisis at SPPU hits research, admin work: 62% of govt-sanctioned posts vacant, over 75% in many depts (Sept 12, 2025): An investigative piece on professor vacancies at Savitribai Phule Pune University. "Maharashtra’s controversial third language policy: Why National Curriculum Framework recommends a third language from Class 6" (July 2): This detailed piece unpacks reasons behind why the state's move to introduce a third language from class 1 was controversial. "Decline in number of schools, teachers in Maharashtra but student enrolment up: Report" (Jan 2025): Analyzing discrepancies in the state's education data despite rising student numbers. 3. Human Rights & Social Issues "Aanchal Mamidawar was brave after her family killed her boyfriend" (Dec 17, 2025): A deeply personal and hard-hitting opinion piece/column on the "crime of love" and honor killings in modern India. "'People disrespect the disabled': Meet the man who has become face of racist attacks on Indians" (Nov 29, 2025): A profile of a Pune resident with severe physical deformities who became the target of global online harassment, highlighting issues of disability and cyber-bullying. Signature Style Soham is known for his civil-liberties lens. His reporting frequently champions the rights of the marginalized—whether it's students fighting for campus democracy, victims of regressive social practices, or residents struggling with crumbling urban infrastructure (as seen in his "Breathless Pune" contributions). He is adept at linking hyper-local Pune issues to larger national conversations about law and liberty. X (Twitter): @SohamShah07 ... 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