Who is Harshita Jakhar, the Rajasthan cyclist who started on Patiala's roads and made history at Tour de France?

For Harshita Jakhar, cycling started as a simple activity on the streets of Patiala during the Covid-19 lockdown. Five years later, the 19-year-old from Rajasthan found herself on one of women’s cycling’s biggest stages, the Tour de France Femmes. Harshita was the first Indian woman to feature at Tour de France Femmes and made history. She was among a group of eight young cyclists from countries including Afghanistan, Algeria, Chile, Ethiopia, Namibia and Uganda who took part in the ceremonial start to Stage 2.

Who is Harshita Jakhar?

Harshita is one of the upcoming young cyclists of India and hails from Rajasthan. Her meteoric rise has been felt especially in the junior category, where she has been bagging medals before establishing herself in the senior events. She is a member of Target Asian Games Group and trains at Sports Authority of India’s National Centre of Excellence in Patiala. Her cycling journey was very much a family affair. Her father Rakesh Jakhar is a former cyclist who represented India at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and later qualified as a coach from NIS Patiala. Rakesh was the first one to see potential in his daughter.

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Harshita's all started on Patiala's roads

Harshita's cycling journey began in August 2020, when her father asked her and her younger cousin Aditya to ride on the roads of Patiala.What started as a morning activity soon turned into something more serious.

Rakesh noticed that the children could cycle for 30 to 40 kilometres without showing much fatigue. That endurance convinced him that Harshita could go far in the sport. In 2021, she topped trials in Bikaner in the U-14 category and entered the national setup. She followed that with gold medals at successive National Championships in Mumbai and Hyderabad.

Her international breakthrough came at the 2024 U-18 Asian Championships in Delhi, where she won one silver and two bronze medals.

Harshita's golden hat-trick

One of the biggest moments of Harshita’s junior career came at the Khelo India Youth Games. She won gold in the 500m time trial, 7.5km scratch race and 2km individual pursuit at Yamuna Velodrome in the Indira Gandhi Indoor Complex in Bihar. Harshita has thanked him for inspiring her to keep cycling through the lockdown and to believe in her potential to win medals.

How did Harshita reach Tour de France Femmes?

Harshita’s entry in the Tour de France Femmes came via the UCI World Cycling Talent programme. The programme provides opportunities for promising cyclists from countries and national federations without established high-performance pathways and without easy access to European coaching, training facilities and racing. Harshita was given the rare opportunity, as one of eight cyclists from around the world.

The group were part of the ceremonial start of Stage 2, riding in front of the professional peloton on the neutralised section. UCI President David Lappartient was at the start line and was thrilled to see Harshita take part. It was a big moment for Indian cycling even though Harshita was not part of the competing women’s peloton on the stage. Lappartient also hoped she would return to the event in the future to compete in the actual race.

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For Harshita, though, just being there fulfilled a dream she had carried since childhood. "Ever since I fell in love with cycling as a child, thanks to my father, I've dreamt of the Tour de France," she said after the ride.

What is Harshita Jakhar's next target?

The Tour de France Femmes is just another step in Harshita's journey from junior level to senior level in cycling. She is already looking forward to the 2026 Asian Games where she wants to finish in the top 10. Her longer term goal is to win a medal at the Asian Games in 2030. She also hopes to be a strong medal contender at the World Championships in both track and road events.

The Rajasthan cyclist’s climb has been built on endurance, discipline and the backing of her father. Now, from early morning rides through the roads of Patiala to the ceremonial start of the Tour de France Femmes, Harshita is looking at a much bigger cycling journey. Her stay in France may have been only for a few kilometres but it was a landmark for Indian cycling and for Harshita it was another indication that the road ahead could be much longer.