Ireland withdraws from talks about organizing Grande Départ of 2026 or 2027 Tour de France

A planned bid from Ireland to host the Grande Départ of the Tour de France in either 2026 or 2027 has been withdrawn due to funding reductions as the road cycling on British Isles continues to face obstacles.

According to a report from the BBC, an initial expression of interest in the formal bidding process was made to the race organiser ASO by Catherine Martin, Irish minister for tourism, culture, arts, sports and media. Northern Ireland economy minister Gordon Lyons was also involved in the process.

The report states that the Department for the Economy confirmed that it would not be possible to progress the interest any further at this moment in time due to a lack of clarity regarding their financial position in the years ahead.

A statement, from the DfE, said: "Unfortunately, due to funding reductions this year and a lack of certainty about the budget position in future years, the Department for the Economy had to take the decision that it could not progress to the development of a feasibility study for the all-island bid to host the Tour De France, Le Grand Depart in 2026 or 2027."