Ireland bids for cross-border Tour de France Grand Départ

The island of Ireland is bidding to host a cross-border Grand Départ of the Tour de France, with the Republic of Ireland Government in Dublin and Northern Ireland Executive in Belfast hoping to welcome the opening days of the race.

BBC Sport reports that it is hoped to bring the race to the Emerald Isle in either 2026 or 2027, with three stages held there.

The broadcaster reports that the DUP’s Gordon Lyons, the DUP politician who is Northern Ireland’s Economy Minister, has met with the Green Party’s Catherine Martin, the Republic of Ireland’s Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, to discuss the joint hosting of the event.

It adds that a joint expression of interest has been submitted to race organisers, ASO. Whether it is envisaged that the first stage of the race should start in Northern Ireland or in the Republic of Ireland was not reported.

Dublin hosted the opening two stages of the Tour de France in 1998, on a weekend that also saw France celebrate its first ever FIFA World Cup victory, with the third stage taking place from Enniscorthy to Cork, before the race – swiftly engulfed by the Festina scandal – headed to Brittany.

Belfast, meanwhile, welcomed the start of the Giro d’Italia in 2014 with a team time trial and road stage both starting and finishing in the city, followed by a third stage that began in Armagh in Northern Ireland and finished in Dublin ahead of the race transferring to Italy.

“People will fondly remember the success of the Giro d'Italia ‘Big Start’ in 2014, and I am confident that together we would be able to successfully host the Grand Départ,” said Lyons.

“Major events such as this not only bring about huge economic benefits but give us a tremendous opportunity to showcase everything that is great about Northern Ireland,” he added.

Martin said: “Hosting the world's greatest cycle race would be an exciting opportunity for the island of Ireland.

“I was delighted to meet Minister Lyons again during my recent trip to Belfast and to agree to express a joint interest in hosting three full stages for Le Grand Départ of the Tour de France, ideally in 2026 or 2027.”

She added: “This collaborative process has my full support, and I will engage with colleagues across Government on this in the coming weeks.”

The Tour de France first started outside its home country in 1954, when Amsterdam hosted the start of the race.

Foreign Grand Départs have increased in frequency since then, not least because of the income it brings race organisers ASO, and now typically happen every two editions, with next year’s race due to start in Spain’s Basque Region, and nowadays there is always a queue of potential hosts.

One of the principal reasons that cities, regions or countries bid to host the opening days of the world’s biggest annual sporting event is the opportunity it gives them to showcase themselves as a tourist destination to a worldwide audience.

So it is worth noting that following the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, Tourism Ireland was established to promote the whole of the island of Ireland overseas, operating under the auspices of the North/South Ministerial Council.

The race last began in the United Kingdom in 2014, when the opening two stages were held in Yorkshire, ahead of a third stage from Cambridge to London before the caravan crossed the Channel to northern France.