Ireland's bid to host the Tour de France Grand Départ in 2026 or 2027 has the support of governments north and south of the border.

On Wednesday evening, Irish Tourism and Sports Minister Catherine Martin and Northern Ireland's Economy Minister Gordon Lyons confirmed that they had made expressions of interest to the Tour organizers, ASO.

"Our shared experience in hosting major sporting events, our collaborative approach in marketing the entire island of Ireland as a tourist destination, and the stunning scenery and céad míle fáilte that await visitors to Ireland, all combine, create a great event that will be held on the entire island of Ireland," Minister Martin said.

Ireland has hosted the start of the Grand Tour twice before, starting in Dublin for the 1998 Tour, which went south to Cork before moving to France, but its legacy in Ireland was severely damaged by the Festina incident that broke out that same week. However, his legacy in Ireland was severely damaged by the Festina incident that broke out the same week. [2014 Giro d'Italia Grande Partenza in Belfast, with Philippe Deignan, Nicolas Roche, and Dan Martin.

The cross-border start of this Giro, which also included a stage from Armagh to Dublin, is clearly the template for this year's bid, with stages in both the Republic and Northern Ireland.

"People remember the success of the "big start" of the Giro d'Italia in 2014. Not only do major events like this have a huge economic impact, but they also provide a great opportunity to showcase the excellence of Northern Ireland."

Pat McQuaid, then race organizer, was instrumental in bringing the 1998 Tour Grand Depart to Dublin, and his brother Darach was a key figure in the 2014 Giro's visit to Ireland.

The 1998 Tour traveled from Ireland to France without a rest day, with riders taking evening flights and the race caravan traveling by overnight ferry from Cork to Roscoff. This time, however, the Irish Grande Pearl is likely to have an earlier rest day, similar to the 2014 Giro.

Under current UCI rules, Grand Tours are only allowed one rest day every four years. The Tour de France used this rule for this year's Danish start, so Ireland will not be able to bid for a Grand Depart before 2026.

The 2023 Tour will start in Bilbao, and Florence is being eyed as the host of the Grande Parle the following year.