India, Aug. 4 -- Indian cyclist Harshita Jakhar achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first Indian woman to take part in the Tour de France Femmes 2026, leading a group of riders during the ceremonial start of Stage Two in Aigle, Switzerland. The 19-year-old from Rajasthan earned the opportunity after being selected for the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) World Cycling Talent Programme, which supports promising cyclists from developing nations by exposing them to top-level international racing.

Harshita rode alongside cyclists from Afghanistan, Algeria, Chile, Ethiopia, Namibia and Uganda in the neutralised 4.5-kilometre opening segment before the main peloton began racing. The Tour de France Femmes, which runs from August...