The opening stages of the Giro d’Italia will take place in Ireland in 2014.  On perhaps the greatest day for Irish Cycling in 25 years, the announcement was made only hours before Martyn Irvine from Newtownards captured Gold and Silver medals at the World Indoor Championships in Minsk, Ireland’s first such medal since 1896.
The Giro is second only to the Tour de France in terms of prestige and in recent years has held the opening stages or ‘Grand Partenza’ outside of Italy.  The race began in Denmark in 2012.
It has already been identified for 2013 as the principal target of Bradley Wiggins and will draw the very best of world cyclists to two stages around Belfast in May 2014, followed by a third finishing in Dublin.
Northern Ireland authorities as well as Fáilte Ireland and others have invested an initial near €5 million to bring the event to Ireland but estimates are that it will generate between eight and ten times that amount in direct economic benefit as well as longer term good will through being broadcast around the world.
The race is shown live in 165 countries and has a potential global audience of 800 million.
Ireland’s only ever winner of the Tour de France Stephen Roche was on hand for the announcement and expressed his hope that a greater legacy will be left behind from this event than was the case when the Tour de France came 15 years ago.
That race itself will start in Britain in 2014, signifying a shift north in the interest base of European cycling.
Massive investment has gone into the British cycling teams and the comparison to funding of Irish cyclists was raised by Martyn Irvine after his historic win in Minsk.
“You couldn’t live on what I’ve been living on. Up to this year I was on the bottom possible grant you could get. Sponsors helped me along the way. Teams gave me an opportunity, family, friends.”
There is no velodrome in Ireland, and Irvine spends most of his time training in Majorca. “I’ve been in Majorca more than I’ve been at home in the last two years, that’s the hard part. But life could be worse.”
It is hoped that after the day that Irish Cycling had yesterday that more commercial partnerships will be attracted to join those including An Post, FBD Insurance, Subway and Chain Reaction that have led the way in recent years.
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