JJ Haedo wins in Mumbai

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Argentinean sprinter Juan Jose Haedo has won the Mumbai Cyclothon, the first-ever UCI-ranked pro race held in India.

The Saxo Bank rider beat Germany's Dirk Müller (Nutrixxion-Sparkasse) and Tobias Erler (Tabriz Petrochemicals). His Saxo Bank teammate Baden Cooke finished fourth.

Haedo, his brother Sebastian Haedo, Stuart O'Grady, and Cooke all traveled to India directly from the Tour of Oman, but the $50,000 first prize made it worth the trip.

“They rode super together and controlled the bunch consisting mainly of Asian continental teams. JJ and Cooke broke clear of the bunch and with two laps to go, JJ took off in the winning break with Dirk Muller (Nutrixxion) and he easily won the sprint,” Saxo Bank Directeur Sportif Bradley McGee said on the team's website.

About 100 riders contested the 100 km race in the Indian city of Mumbai (Bombay), riding 36 laps of a 2.8 km circuit in the heart of the huge Indian city.

The race was part of a day of cycling organised to promote bike use in Mumbai, with Bollywood movie stars taking part in the mass ride.