Giro d'Italia is coming!

Belfast Welcomes the Giro D'Italia!

Get on Yer Bike! Giro Festival
3rd - 11th May

Belfast City Council is running an eight-day Giro festival, Get on yer Bike! to celebrate Belfast being chosen as the starting point of the Giro d’Italia.  They've chosen themes of food, fashion, art, architecture, music and performance, and have shaken them up and give them an Italian and pink twist!  Click here for information on all the events and activities as part of the Giro Festival. 

Giro D'Italia Big Start
8th - 11th May

Belfast and Northern Ireland are hosting the Giro d'Italia Big Start (Grande Partenza) from 8 to 11 May 2014 with three days of unmissable cycling action and a special pre-race event in Belfast on 8th May.  There will be a range of events and activities before and during the races, including a fabulous celebration worthy of Italian cycling traditions and the maglia rosa (the pink jersey).  For further information on the Giro D'Italia Big Start, click here.

Circuit of Ireland comes to North Down

The Circuit of Ireland is roaring into Ards on Friday 18 April. 

The Circuit kicks off in Newtownards at 9am with a Time Control in Conway Square and continues to two stages in the borough as part of the day's rallying. 

The world famous rally then returns to Newtownards at 7pm for the ‘Ards Super Stage’. This unique town centre stage will see 120 cars compete in timed heats around the centre of Ards with birds-eye spectator areas right around the special stage.

The 2014 Circuit of Ireland has been billed by ERC organisers 'Eurosport Events' as one of three ‘legendary’ events alongside the Acropolis and Corisca rallies. It takes place on 17-19 April and will be the first fully asphalt race of the European Rally Championship.

Conway Square will play host to some car themed family entertainment throughout the day (11am to 7pm),including a very special appearance from ‘Roary the Racing Car and Big Chris’, with race simulators from the Eddie Irvine Experience, static displays of rally cars and army reserve vehicles and the Cool FM Roadshow providing music.

The outline timings for Friday 18 April are:

9am                          Time control at Newtownards Town Hall, Conway Square, to start competitive stages

                                     

9.15am                     Stage starts at Loughries

10.30am                    Road closure at Ballygowan Stage

11am - 7pm               Rally-themed Entertainment in Conway Square

12.45pm                    1st Stage at Ballygowan

4pm                           Newtownards town centre road closures

                                 (High Street, Mill Street, Gibson's Lane,Regent Street, Frances Street and Castle Place)

                                  Pedestrian access continues.

6.15pm                      2nd Stage at Ballygowan

7.10pm                      Ards TT Super Stage

                                 Special timed stages around Newtownards town centre.

8.30pm                      Roads re-open at Ballygowan

9.00pm                      Newtownards town centre roads re-open.