Defending champion Dilawar Singh from Haryana and a host of the country's top cyclists will be seen in action in the Giant-Starkenn 52nd Mumbai-Pune Cycle Race on March 25, carrying a total prize fund of Rs 6 lakh.
The prestigious event and one of the toughest on the national scene has been organised by the Cycling Association of Maharashtra and Kreeda Jagruti Sports Pvt Ltd.
The cumulative purse for the winners is to the tune of Rs 6 lakh with the winner pocketing Rs 1 lakh.
Singh will have his hands full as he attempts a back- to-back title and to claim the top prize of Rs 1 lakh with the likes of Manhar Lal, Arvind Panwar, Pankaj Kumar (Railways), Rajbir Singh (Services) and home boy Ashish Patil in fray, a media release said today.
There are a handful of others who are capable of springing a surprise or two. Ganesh Pawar, the winner of the gruelling Bor Ghats section on the old Mumbai-Pune highway, is a dark horse along with Dilip Mane, the King of the Ghats in the 2013 edition of the race.
In all, 157 cyclists from across the country have confirmed their participation and they hail from Rajasthan, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, besides the home state of Maharashtra along with a few national campers who will also be part of the action.
The race will be flagged off from Kala Ghoda in South Mumbai at 7 am and the competitors will wind their way through the non-competitive route first before the competitive section beginning from the R K Studios in suburban Chembur.
As is the convention, the race is split into two legs, the Mumbai-Khandala and Khandala-Pune.
The winner will be decided on the combined time registered by the cyclists, the release added.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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