27TH GUWAN HAMUDA PAPEDI SAWARIYA SETS THE WHEELS IN MOTION
The Guwan Hamuda Papedi Sawariya 2026, the 27th edition of the race, was flagged off this morning (27 February 2026) in Negombo by the Commander of the Air Force, Air Marshal Bandu Edirisinghe. The occasion was attended by the Chairman Air Force Cycling, Air Vice Marshal Indika Wickremasinghe, Base Commander SLAF Katunayake, Air Vice Marshal Amitha Jayamaha, Managing Director, Members of the Air Force Board of Management, Secretary of SLAF Cycling, Group Captain Chamil Hettiarachchi and Chief Executive Officer Toyota Lanka (Pvt) LTD, Mr. Manohara Athukorala. This year’s race is being conducted in line with the 75th anniversary celebrations.
The Men’s race, which commenced this morning with the participation of over 150 cyclists, including both local and international riders from Russia, India and the UAE, is scheduled to complete its first lap in Puttalam, covering a distance of 127.5 km. The entire race will conclude on 01 March 2026 at Defence Headquarters, Akuregoda, after the completion of three laps over three days.
The Women’s race will commence at Meerigama on 01 March 2026 and conclude at Defence Headquarters, Akuregoda, covering a distance of approximately 81.9 km. The route of the Women’s race will pass through Divulapitiya, Rathupaswala, Delgoda and Malabe before reaching the endpoint.
The main sponsors of the 27th Guwan Hamuda Papedi Sawariya are Toyota Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, Verus Analytics (Pvt) Ltd and Abans Group. The Official Team Sponsor is Cosmic Technologies Pvt Ltd, the Official Hospitality Partner is the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, the Official Insurance Partner is Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation and the Official Banking Partner is Bank of Ceylon.
The event is further supported by several co-sponsors, including Unilever Sri Lanka through its Lifebuoy brand, Asian Paints (Causeway), Metropolitan Technologies, the National Lotteries Board, Maliban Biscuit Manufacturing (Pvt) Ltd through its Vitagen brand and CEAT Kelani Holdings.
The official media partners for the 27th Guwan Hamuda Papedi Sawariya are Sirasa TV and TV 1, ensuring extensive live coverage and highlights of the event across the country. Notably, this is the only cycle race in Sri Lanka that features live coverage of the entire race via a Bell-412 helicopter, in collaboration with Sirasa TV.
The awards ceremony will be held on 01 March 2026 at the Air Force Headquarters on a grand scale.
The Men’s race, which commenced this morning with the participation of over 150 cyclists, including both local and international riders from Russia, India and the UAE, is scheduled to complete its first lap in Puttalam, covering a distance of 127.5 km. The entire race will conclude on 01 March 2026 at Defence Headquarters, Akuregoda, after the completion of three laps over three days.
The Women’s race will commence at Meerigama on 01 March 2026 and conclude at Defence Headquarters, Akuregoda, covering a distance of approximately 81.9 km. The route of the Women’s race will pass through Divulapitiya, Rathupaswala, Delgoda and Malabe before reaching the endpoint.
The main sponsors of the 27th Guwan Hamuda Papedi Sawariya are Toyota Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, Verus Analytics (Pvt) Ltd and Abans Group. The Official Team Sponsor is Cosmic Technologies Pvt Ltd, the Official Hospitality Partner is the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, the Official Insurance Partner is Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation and the Official Banking Partner is Bank of Ceylon.
The event is further supported by several co-sponsors, including Unilever Sri Lanka through its Lifebuoy brand, Asian Paints (Causeway), Metropolitan Technologies, the National Lotteries Board, Maliban Biscuit Manufacturing (Pvt) Ltd through its Vitagen brand and CEAT Kelani Holdings.
The official media partners for the 27th Guwan Hamuda Papedi Sawariya are Sirasa TV and TV 1, ensuring extensive live coverage and highlights of the event across the country. Notably, this is the only cycle race in Sri Lanka that features live coverage of the entire race via a Bell-412 helicopter, in collaboration with Sirasa TV.
The awards ceremony will be held on 01 March 2026 at the Air Force Headquarters on a grand scale.