Tour de France Femmes 2026: Harshita Jakhar makes history, becomes first Indian woman to feature in iconic race
Aigle, August 3
Cyclist Harshita Jakhar made history, becoming the first Indian woman to feature in the Tour de France Femmes 2026, leading a group of cyclists round the ceremonial start of Stage Two in Aigle, Switzerland, on Sunday.
As per Olympics.com, the 19-year-old Harshita, hailing from Rajasthan, was amongst the eight cyclists on Sunday selected for the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) World Cycling Talent Programme, which provides exposure to elite cycling competition and an environment for players from developing cycling nations.
The group had cyclists from Afghanistan, Algeria, Chile, Ethiopia, Namibia and Uganda, and they completed a neutralised 4.5 km ride ahead of the professional peloton before Stage Two of the race.
The Tour de France is the annual women's road cycling stage race and is a part of the UCI Women's World Tour calendar as one of its biggest and longest events. It started on August 1 in Lausanne and will conclude on August 9 in Nice.
UCI president David Lappartient welcomed the participation of the Indian cyclist, optimistic that she would one day return in the Tour de France Femmes.
"We are excited to have India's very talented Harshita Jakhar in our prestigious UCI World Cycling Talent Programme," Lappartient said. "I am sure she will love being part of the Tour de France Femmes and will soon return to take part in the actual competition," he added.
Harshita's training base is the Sports Authority of India's National Centre of Excellence in Patiala, where she trains under the guidance of her father and former cyclist Rakesh Jakhar, who competed in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. She announced herself as a serious national cyclist with three gold medals in the 2025 Khelo India Youth Games and has won a silver and two bronze medals at the 2024 Asian Junior Cycling Championships.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Finally, some good news in Indian sports beyond cricket! Harshita's journey from Rajasthan to the UCI World Cycling Talent Programme is remarkable. The Khelo India initiative is clearly paying dividends. Hoping she cracks the main peloton in 2027! 🙌
This is incredible but also makes me think—we need more investment in cycling infrastructure in India. Our roads aren't exactly cyclist-friendly, especially in smaller towns. Harshita's success despite these challenges shows her sheer determination. Kudos to SAI Patiala for supporting her.
As someone who follows cycling closely, the Tour de France Femmes is a massive deal. Just being part of the ceremonial start is huge exposure. Harshita was in the neutralised zone but you can bet she soaked in the atmosphere. The UCI president's confidence in her is telling. 🇮🇳🚴♀️
So proud of Harshita! But honestly, the media coverage for women's sports in India is still so poor. If this was a male cricketer, every channel would be doing 24x7 coverage. I hope her story gets the attention it deserves. She's a trailblazer, and we need to celebrate her more loudly!
Great achievement, no doubt. But we need to be realistic—this was a ceremonial 4.5 km ride, not the actual race. Let's not overhype it. The real challenge is qualifying and competing against the best. That said, being selected for this programme is a solid step. Wishing her all the best for the grind ahead.
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