Overview
- Australia’s Fergus Browning won the 7.5 km prologue in 08:05:89 to take the Yellow Jersey for Stage 1, with Dylan Hopkins and Andreas Miltiadis next fastest.
- Organisers touted a record field for the category, reporting about 171 riders from 29 teams and 35 countries, while other tallies listed 164 riders from 28 teams after a Moroccan squad withdrew.
- The five-stage race runs January 19–23 over 437 km across the Deccan Plateau and Sahyadri Range, with Stage 1 set for the Mulshi–Maval section.
- Pune officials redirected roughly Rs 500 crore to upgrade roads, removed speed breakers, and imposed contractor penalties plus five-year upkeep clauses to meet UCI standards.
- Prologue-day measures included one-day school and college closures near the city centre and traffic restrictions on key roads, drawing commuter complaints about short notice and detours.