The dominance of Li Ning Star continues at the Bajaj Pune Grand Tour. After the two victories by Luke Mudgway in the first and second stages, in the longest section of the Indian race, the Purander-Baramati of 134 kilometers, it was Cameron Scott's turn (admired between 2023 and 2024 in the World Tour with the Bahrain-Victorious jersey) to once again bring the Chinese Continental team to the fore.

With a perfectly prepared sprint by his teammates, the Australian born in '98 conquered the third stage ahead of Georgios Bouglas (Burgos Burpellet BH) and Timothy Dupont (Tartelletto-Isorex), thus giving his team the third consecutive victory in the event.

THE CHRONICLE

With the two mountain points of the day (the last scheduled in this first edition of the Indian race) placed one after another right after the start, the stage begins sparkling from the beginning. The Burgos Burpellet BH makes the initial climbs particularly heated, first with Clement Alleno and then with the duo Sainbayar-Kudus, putting the mountain classification leader Stefan Bennett (EuroCyclingTrips-CCN) in the middle and ultimately snatching the top position in the specialty ranking.

After the mountain contest, the first part of the peloton (with all the classification favorites) quickly tackles the long descent towards the intermediate sprint in Nira, where Carter Bettles (Roojai Insurance Winspace) places behind Juan Pedro Lozano (Terengganu Cycling Team), gaining two bonus seconds that allow him to virtually reach Yorben Lauryssen (Tartelletto-Isorex) in second place overall, 15" behind the yellow jersey Mudgway.

The peloton then heads north along wide roads swept by lateral wind gusts that, although potentially dangerous, no team uses to try to create echelons and disrupt the regular course of the race. Thus, without particular jolts, they reach the second intermediate sprint where, unlike previously, the overall leader is also interested: his effort allows him to put everyone behind him except for a determined Bettles who, with another second gained, momentarily moves to 14" from the Li Ning Star New Zealander.

After a few more kilometers at a steady pace, 41 km from the finish, two men try to poke their nose out of the group for a moment, but their timid attempt is promptly canceled by the Roojai men and an immense Cristian Raileanu (Li Ning Star) who bring the group back together, onto which a dozen men who had fallen behind in the early stages of the stage simultaneously return.

With an even more substantial peloton, they head towards the last intermediate sprint (won by Belgian Zeno Moonen of Tartelletto-Isorex ahead of Dylan Hopkins and Zeb Kyffin) and then, after covering thirty kilometers without difficulties, towards the Baramati finish line. Here, as easily anticipated the day before, the first true group sprint of the Bajaj Pune Grand Tour takes place, which, thanks to the excellent preparatory work of the entire Li Ning Star, sees Cameron Scott celebrate ahead of Bouglas, Dupont, Kyffin, and Alleno, claiming his sixth career victory (the third in the last seven months) at the elite level.

In the general classification, Mudgway (6th today at the finish) quite easily maintains the yellow jersey and, on the eve of a final stage without altitude challenges that again winks at the fast wheels, approaches the final triumph. However, he will need to keep an eye on Carter Bettles (risen, thanks to bonus seconds, to second place at 14") and Yorben Lauryssen (still third at 17") who, with the seconds available at the three intermediate sprints and at the Pimpri-Chinchwad finish line, can still arithmetically challenge him and rewrite the entire podium.

FINISH ORDER

1st Cameron Scott (AUS/Li Ning Star)

2nd Georgios Bouglas (GRE/Burgos Burpellet BH) s.t.

3rd Timothy Dupont (BEL/Tartelletto-Isorex) s.t.

4th Zeb Kyffin (ENG/Terengganu Cycling Team) s.t.

5th Clement Alleno (FRA/Burgos Burpellet BH) s.t.

6th Luke Mudgway (NZL/Li Ning Star) s.t.

7th Brayden Bloch (AUS/Rauland Development Team) s.t.

8th Gerard Mora (AND/ProCyclingStats.com) s.t.

9th Jambaljamts Sainbayar (MON/Burgos Burpellet BH) s.t.

10th Ronnilan Quita (FIL/ 7Eleven Cliqq Roadbike Philippines) s.t.

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION

1st Luke Mudgway (NZL/Li Ning Star) 7:36:10

2nd Carter Bettles (AUS/Roojai Insurance Winspace) +14"

3rd Yorben Lauryssen (BEL/Tartelletto-Isorex) +17"

4th Nils Sinschek (OLA/Li Ning Star) +23"

5th Clement Alleno (FRA/Burgos Burpellet BH) +36"

6th Jambaljamts Sainbayar (MON/Burgos Burpellet BH) +39"

7th Merhawi Kudus (ERI/Burgos Burpellet BH) +1'22"

8th Cristian Raileanu (MOL/Li Ning Star) +1'24"

9th Juan Pedro Lozano (SPA/Terengganu Cycling Team) +2'03"

10th Viego Tijssen (OLA/ Wielerploeg Groot Amsterdam) +2'29"

Photo credit: Bajaj Pune Grand Tour