IT HAS been confirmed in Paris, after months of speculation, that the 1998 Tour de France will start in Ireland.
The official announcement will be made at a reception in Dublin this afternoon when the Minister for Trade and Tourism, Mr Kenny, and the Tour de France director general, Mr Jean Marie Leblanc, will sign an agreement.
Mr Pat McQuaid, president of the Federation of Irish Cyclists, has been working on the project for some time.
The announcement is being made later than normal, delayed by the need to resolve some transport difficulties.
In addition to the 198 riders, nearly 2,000 team and race officials are involved in the great annual event. The press corps numbers almost 1,000. A total of 1,500 vehicles, including large trucks, are needed to move the vast amount of equipment.
Because of the soccer World Cup in France next year, with the final in Paris on Sunday, July 12th, it is advantageous to have the Tour elsewhere and McQuaid's application to stage the opening has been accepted. There was competition from Liege and Turin, but the organisers decided on Dublin.
It will be the 13th time the race has started outside France. It visited England on two occasions. The last time was in 1994, when tentative plans were laid for an Irish stage. The first major hurdle was overcome last year when the Government pledged the necessary £2 million for the promotion.
When Stephen Roche won the race in 1987 suggestions that the Tour should visit Ireland seemed a flight of fantasy. But the possibility was helped by the English visit and now McQuaid's efforts will be rewarded.
Roche has been at his training camp in Majorca but is expected home for the announcement today. In addition to his triumph to which he added the Tour of Italy and World championship in 1987, he won Tour stages in 1985, when he finished third overall, and again in 1993.
Sean Kelly, who rode in 14 Tours, was a stage winner five times. His best overall placing was fourth. He held the leader's yellow jersey once, and set the record of four green jerseys as winner of the points classification.
Kelly said yesterday: "The Tour coming here is a marvellous boost for the sport and industry. If anyone mentioned it a few years ago I would have laughed at the idea. However, my one regret is that there are no Irish riders competing at the top level now, so we will not have anyone taking part."
He added: "This is a wonderful achievement. It is unbelievable to think they have got it over here. As a sports event the Tour is huge, and has to be seen to be believed. It would have been great for it to come here when Stephen and I were competing, but that just did not happen.
The route details are expected to be revealed today. The original plan was for the prologue time trial to be over a closed Dublin city centre circuit of 8 km with the start and finish in O'Connell Street, on Saturday, July 11th.
Mr Leblanc and other Tour officials looked over some routes last year and it is expected that following the prologue time trial, the Tour will leave O'Connell Street for Wexford where the bicentenary of the 1798 rebellion will be celebrated. The stage will finish back in Dublin.
Kilkenny is the likely starting point for stage two on Monday, July 13th, after which the riders will be flown to France.
This year's Tour starts near Rouen, at Forges les Eaux, on July 5th and, after going down the west coast and into the Pyrenees, visits Andorra on the 15th. After the Alps there is a stage end at Friborg in Switzerland with the final stage from Disneyland Paris to the Champs Elysees on Sunday 27th.