Young cyclist Harshita Jagar (19) set a record by becoming the first Indian to participate in the international women’s cycling race, the Tour de France Femmes.
For this competition, she was one of 8 talented competitors selected by the International Cycling Union (UCI). Apart from her, 7 female cyclists from Afghanistan, Algeria, Chile, Ethiopia (2), Namibia, and Uganda have also been included.
The UCI has taken up this initiative to provide international experience to those from countries where cycling is an emerging sport.
The 2nd stage race of the Tour de France Femmes was held on Monday over a distance of 147.9 km from Aigle in Switzerland to Geneva. In this, these 8 women cyclists, including Harshitha, took part in the race over a specific 4.5 km stretch that was not part of the competitive race.
At that time, some of the women riders from the main competition also joined them over that distance. The president of the International Cycling Union, David Lappartient, also took part in this event.
Harshitha, from Rajasthan, has been performing well in Indian cycling. She has won several medals in the junior and senior categories held domestically.