International Cycling Race ‘Vedanta Tour De Thar’ Held in Bikaner

Jaipur, Nov 2025 : On the initiative of Union Law Minister Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, India witnessed its first-ever 200 km international cycling race, the ‘Vedanta Tour de Thar,’ organized in Bikaner under the MP Sports Festival 2025. Union Law Minister Shri Meghwal flagged off the race on Sunday at Norangdesar.

The event was attended by several dignitaries, including Food & Civil Supplies Minister Shri Sumit Godara, Khajuwala MLA Dr. Vishwanath Meghwal, Dungargarh MLA Shri Tarachand Saraswat, and Mr. Pierre Girbaud from France.

The race, modeled on internationally renowned events like the Tour de France and Tour de Suisse, focused on promoting environmental protection, carbon emission reduction, Thar sustainability, health, sports, and tourism. It was held along the India-Mala Expressway from Jamnagar to Amritsar, with a 50 km stretch from Norangdesar to Desalsar made traffic-free with the support of NHAI.

Organized jointly by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports’ Fit India initiative, Vedanta, the Cycling Federation of India, SBI, Nevli India, and Haldiram Group, the race marks a major step toward developing cycling infrastructure in Bikaner.

Addressing the gathering, Shri Meghwal said that November 23 will be remembered in Bikaner’s sporting history, and the race will become an annual event, putting Bikaner on both national and international tourism maps. He also announced that cycling infrastructure development in Bikaner will be included in the upcoming budget.

Shri Sumit Godara said, “We’ve heard of the Tour de France, but thanks to Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, Bikaner now has the ‘Tour de Thar.’ This is the first edition, and we expect it to grow bigger and better each year in the Thar desert.”

Shri V.N. Singh of the Cycling Federation of India highlighted that cycling races in India typically cover 50–60 km in cities like Noida, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Chandigarh. For the first time, a 200 km international cycling race has been held in India. Cyclists from France, Switzerland, Singapore, and across India, including Rajasthan, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Odisha, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Goa, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, Chandigarh, Daman & Diu, and Dadra & Nagar Haveli, participated. Participants ranged in age from 16 to 69 years.

The race had two categories: Elite (100 km) and Amateur (200 km). The Elite category recognized the top 10 male and female cyclists, while the Amateur category included different age brackets—16–30, 31–45, and 45+ years—with winners awarded in each.

Elite 100 km Winners:

• Men: Sahil Kumar, Vishwajeet Singh, Sachin Desai, Mukesh Kumar Kaswan, Surya Thattu, Venkappa Kengalagutti, Arshad Faridi, Chirag Sehgal, Advaith Shankar SS, Krishna Nayakodi
• Women: Swasti Singh, Soumya Antapur, Harshita Jakhar, Danamma, Vaishnavi Gabhane, Suhani Kumari, Yogeshwari Kadam, Parul, Aarti, Krishna Chaudhary

Amateur 100 & 200 km Top Winners:

• 200 km Men: Anoop Kumar (Champion), Arpitaketan Pandya; 2nd – Sanjeev Sharma, 3rd – Bajrang Godara
• 200 km Women: 2nd – Rani Maheshwari
• 100 km Men: Harsh Panwar, Vinay Goswami, Malay Gupta
• 100 km Women: Barnali Mahela, Siddhi Wafelkar, Anamika Verma

Top three winners were also recognized in each age group across both distances.

This historic race is expected to transform Bikaner into a major cycling and sports tourism hub while promoting environmental and sustainable practices in the region.