Schools under the jurisdiction of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) have been ordered to remain closed after 12 pm on Friday, January 23, due to road closures for the final leg of the Pune Grand Tour 2026. The Stage 4 route will begin in Balewadi and traverse key roads through Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwadand conclude at Balgandharva Rang Mandir.
Two separate notifications in this regard were issued by Pune District Collector Jitendra Dudi on Wednesday. The deputy commissioner of police (traffic) of Pune city and additional commissioner of police of Pimpri Chinchwad had written to Dudi in this regard, according to the notices.
Stage 4 of the Pune Grand Tour, India’s first multi-stage race of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) 2.2, is 95 km and has an elevation profile of 560 metres.
“The run in Pune city traverses many internal and arterial roads. And is likely to cause traffic congestion. To avoid inconvenience to students, all public and private schools in Pune have been directed to operate till 12 noon and then remain closed,” the notification states.
The notification for PCMC reads, “In stage 4, the competition will start from Chhatrapati Shivaji Stadium, Balewadi. It will continue towards Pune city limits and then re-enter Pimpri-Chinchwad Police Station limits via Rajiv Gandhi Bridge. The route will pass through Sangvi, Wakad, Nigdi, Triveninagar, Bhosari, Chikhali and Pimpri-Kalewadi areas, before re-entering Pune city limits via Rajiv Gandhi Bridge.”
“To ensure the smooth and safe conduct of the competition and avoid inconvenience to citizens, the entry of all types of vehicles on the competition route has been prohibited and traffic has been diverted along alternative routes. To avoid inconvenience to students, the orders establish that all public and private schools located in the limits of the PCMC will remain closed after 12 noon,” it added.
The race will end at 1.30 pm on January 23 at Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Balewadi, and will conclude at BAL Gandharv Rangmandir, Jangali Maharaj Road, at 4 pm According to the Pune Grand Tour website, “The last leg of the Pune Grand Tour presents a unique challenge for the cyclists, as the cityscape becomes their track. It is the race to the finish line, as the cyclists pedal through streets of the city marked by milestones of heritage and evolution”.