Dublin, Belfast bid for Giro start

Sixteen years after the country played host to the Tour de France, Ireland could yet again be about to stage an iconic bike race after it emerged that Belfast and Dublin have teamed up in a bid to win the right to stage part the Giro d’Italia.

A cross-border submission to host the opening stages of the World Tour race in 2014 has been put together by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) and Fáilte Ireland in conjunction with Stormont and the Irish government.

If successful, it would mean a six-day cycling extravaganza featuring up to 200 of the world’s most high-profile riders.