Giro D’italia 2014 To Kick Off In Ireland
Next year’s Giro d’Italia will begin in Belfast as part of three days of action on both sides of the Irish border. The event – one of cycling’s three Grand Tour events in the calendar – will begin on 10th May, with the Irish legs held over three stages until 12th May, taking in Belfast, Armagh and Dublin along the way.
According to media reports, around £4 million will be required to bring the event to Ireland but the commercial return could add up to as much as £10 million, with tourism officials and government representatives from both sides of the border attending respective launches at Titanic Belfast and Dublin’s Civic Offices on Wood Quay on Thursday afternoon.
The news means that two of cycling’s Grand Tours will make visits to Britain and Ireland next year, with the 2014 Tour de France starting in Yorkshire.
The Republic of Ireland also saw Tour de France action back in 1998 when the first three days of the race took place in the country.
Precise stage routes for the Irish leg of next year’s event have yet to be confirmed for a race – set to feature over 200 of the world’s top cyclists.
Last year’s Giro was broadcast in 165 countries across all continents, reaching 125 million households and a global accumulated audience of 775 million people.
