A mass participation cycling event for amateurs and professionals will be held in Northern Ireland for the next three years as a legacy to the Giro d’Italia.
The Gran Fondo is run by RCS, the organisers of the Giro, with the first event scheduled for June 2015.
Two race routes have been provisionally recommended by the organisers, preceded by cycling activities on the day before the main event across Northern Ireland.
Both routes, made up of 177km and 59km, start and finish at Titanic Belfast.
Up to 4,000 riders are expected to take part in the one-day major spin-off from the Giro, which attracts amateur competitors from across the world, plus professional former stage winners.
Tourism chiefs have invested approximately £400,000 in a bid to capitalise on the feel-good factor generated across the country in May amd while the routes are yet to be announced, they are expected to include the Mourne Mountains and Strangford Lough.
“The 2014 Giro d’Italia captured the imagination of the people of Northern Ireland and was hailed as a resounding success by the organisers, who were bowled over by the warmth of our welcome and enthusiasm,” said Arlene Foster, minister of enterprise, trade and investment.