Pune: PMC Rounds Up Stray Dogs Ahead Of Friday's Grand Cycle Tour

The Bajaj Pune Grand Tour 2026, which created a historic moment for Indian cycling by becoming the country’s first multi-stage men’s road race, will conclude tomorrow (January 23).

The Grand Cycle Tour scheduled in Pune on Friday has reached the final stage, and the tour concludes with the Pune Pride Loop, a 95-km urban circuit passing several city landmarks, including Shaniwar Wada.

The five-day continental event places India on the global professional cycling calendar for the first time. The race spans a newly charted 437-kilometre course across the Deccan Plateau and the Sahyadri Range, featuring steep climbs, sharp turns and technically challenging terrain. The tour concludes with the Pune Pride Loop, a 95-km urban circuit passing several city landmarks, including Shaniwar Wada.

To ensure the smooth and safe conduct of the mega event. The PMC is taking measures and has begun catching stray dogs along the proposed cycling routes across the city. With large crowds and early-morning movement involved, PMC officials said preventive steps were necessary to avoid any untoward incidents.

Teams from the PMC’s veterinary and animal husbandry department were deployed to identify and safely capture stray dogs from sensitive stretches of the route. Officials clarified that the dogs are being relocated temporarily to designated shelters and animal care centres, where they will be provided food, water and medical attention. The animals will be released back into their respective areas after the event.

Traffic police, PMC departments, volunteers and event organisers are working in coordination to manage traffic diversions, crowd control and emergency response during the event. Several roads, including JM Road, FC Road, Karve Road, Law College Road, Bhandarkar Road, Prabhat Road, and BMCC road will remain closed from 9 am to 6 pm.