Traffic mismanagement costs Amandeep the title as he rams into a car close to the finish line.
Utter chaos at the finish line marred the 49th edition of the Mumbai-Pune Cycle Race here on Saturday.
With the Jungli Maharaj Road being one-way, the heavy traffic on Saturday afternoon proved to be the main hindrance for cyclist Amandeep Singh who led the country’s oldest race all through the 155km stretch. But he fell short by a couple of metres as he rammed into a stationed car, letting the other five walk away with the cash prize.
It was a clear case of mismanagement, as there was no one to take care of the traffic, despite the presence of guardian minister Ajit Pawar as the chief guest.
Amandeep was going well and also won the Kapoli sprint ahead of Satbir Singh. All along the race, he looked fresh and showed no signs of fatigue. But just two metres from the finish line, the Commonwealth Games camper met with the unfortunate incident.
Rattled by the incident, he made the situation worse. He slapped his teammate C Rajesh, who eventually emerged the winner. “It is unfortunate that Amandeep could not finish first, but for me, it’s Amandeep who is the winner,” said the Indian coach Graham Seers.
On the other hand, the police officials resorted to blame game. “It is the duty of the police,” said one of the traffic officials. While the cops countered the statement saying it was the not the duty of the police but of the traffic wing. The guardian minister was an eye witness to the entire drama, but did not like to comment.
Meanwhile, Rajesh, who ultimately turned out to be the lucky winner, was sporting enough. “Everyone likes to win but not in this manner,” Rajesh said terming the incident unfortunate. “I feel sorry for what happened. I even told him that I would like to share the prize but he refused,” added Rajesh, who had won the Pune-Baramati race last year.
Results: Main race: C Rajesh, Harpreet Singh, Atul Kumar, Satbir Singh, Paramjeet Singh, Amandeep Singh, Vinod Malik, Sabu Ganigar (all Indian Campers), Pankaj Marlesha (Mum), Deepankar Saikai; Panvel Prime: Sravan Kumar Bambhu (Ind), Satbir Singh (Indian Camper), Amandeep Singh (Indian Camper); Khopoli Prime: Amandeep Singh, Satbir Singh, Sarvan Kumar; Bambhu King Of The Ghat: Amandeep Singh, Satbir Singh, Sachin Pawar (Del); Kamseth Prime: Harpreet Singh, Amandeep Singh, Satbir Singh.
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