Kiwis just can’t seem to lose in India. Luke Mudgway of Team Li Ning Star China, took the Day 1 honours of the yellow jersey at the Pune Grand Tour, after a fierce sprint to get home in 2:00.21 hours, fending off Estonian Andreas Matildas (2:00.27), as two of his teammates set up the finish for him, with several attacks on the climbs.
“I think this was a really special win for me and I’ve been racing for 11 years. It was my first race of the season and the amount of Pune people that came to cheer us in the last 15 was truly unforgettable. The atmosphere was incredible,” he said.
Acing the technical climb ups and steep downs, he completed the fast finish, warding off small groups of 15 post the crash at the quarterway mark. “I knew it was dangerous so I stayed in the front,” he said.
Luke grew up in New Zealand where his father was an athlete, but he chose cycling and got mighty good by his teens, with a World title on track. “It’s a hard sport, but I have a great team,” he said. Pune’s heat wasn’t particularly intimidating. “I’m coming off a NZ summer. I train in Spain, but I went home to get married,” he said.
Mudgway loves cricket, and his Test and ODI teams have completed series wins in India recently. So, who’s his favourite cricketer? “Trent Boult,” he declares.
Crash impacts 30 riders
A crash of the second lead pack, which impacted an estimated 30 riders, near Golvan village, caused a nasty pile-up, as India’s first UCI 2.2 race got off to a scalding start at the quarter way mark. An official statement said no serious injuries or hospitalisation were reported, though Malaysian Abdul Halil Mohd Izzst couldn’t complete the race. Two other cyclists Enzo Caparoli and Marti Casanovas needed to change their bike, while Indian Dhruv Dahiya copped a hard blow on his face. Veteran Indian rider Naveen John saw his bike severely mangled, and two dozen others saw assorted bruisings to bike and rider. The race was neutralized (paused for safety issues, and results adjusted) for 23 minutes, and resumed after the battered bikers were patched back in ambulances.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
