Winner JJ Haedo celebrating his victory in the Mumbai Cyclothon for photographers and tv cameras from Indian national television who broadcasted the race live. (Image credit: Remko Kramer)
The Tour de Mumbai will expand significantly in its second year, adding a second day to the event and adding more of the sport's top professional teams including the RadioShack and Liquigas squads.
In last year's inaugural event, Saxo Bank was the only top tier team to participate and its rider JJ Haedo won the race over German Dirk Muller.
The event is part of the International Cycling Union's efforts to globalize the sport, and it has garnered a higher ranking this year, going up from 1.2 to a 1.1 for both the 158-kilometre February 11 race in Nashik and the 117-kilometre Mumbai event on February 13.
"We are looking forward to see how these races develop as international events on the UCI calendar," said UCI director Philippe Chevallier according to AP.
"We believe India has huge potential for a representation of professional cycling on a global level with initiatives like Tour de Mumbai I and II."
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