As La Vuelta ciclista a España (19 August-11 September 2022), the last three-week race of of the season is nearing, let’s talk about the
cyclists who won all the three grand tours at least one time.
Jacques Anquetil was the first rider to achieve this, when he finally won the Vuelta in 1963. At that point of his career, he already had a Giro d’Italia and 3 Tour de France victories.
The full list of his grand tour triumphs:
Tour de France 1957, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964
Giro d’Italia 1960, 1964
Vuelta a España 1963
Felice Gimondi also managed to win all the three big races at least one time:
Tour de France 1965
Giro d’Italia 1967, 1969, 1976
Vuelta a España 1968
It’s important to know, that for decades, Vuelta was held in spring before Giro d’Italia. The first autumn edition was organized in 1995.
While the first Vuelta-Tour double (winning the two race in one season) was Anquetil success in 1963, Eddy Merckx was the first cyclist, who managed to win Vuelta and Giro in the same year (1973). Evidently, he skipped Tour de France that year.
Eddy Merckx grand tour victories:
Tour de France 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974
Giro d’Italia 1968, 1970, 1071, 1973, 1974
Vuelta a España 1973
Another five-time Tour de France winner, Bernard Hinault has won all the three grand tours:
Tour de France 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1985
Giro d’Italia 1980, 1982, 1985
Vuelta a España 1978, 1983
Also, the last few decades provided real grand tour giants, like Alberto Contador
Tour de France 2007, 2009
Giro d’Italia 2008, 2015
uelta a España 2008, 2012, 2014
Vincezo Nibali
Tour de France 2014
Giro d’Italia 2013, 2016
uelta a España 2010
and Chris Froome
Tour de France 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017
Giro d’Italia 2018
uelta a España 2011, 2017
Although no cyclist won the three races in the same season, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Chris Froome managed to win all three in succession (thus holding all titles at the same time).
But of course it would be a bit unfair, when we would exclude from the topic
the two superstar cyclists from the middle of the century: Gino Bartali and Fausto Coppi
Vuelta was first held in 1935, but only since 1955 is organized yearly. When Coppi abd Bartali were on the top, wasn’t even sure, that the idea of a Spanish grand tour would even survive. No wonder, that Bartali, who was the first cyclist to win both Tour de France (1938 and 1958) and Giro d’Italia (1936, 1937 and 1946), never rode the Vuelta.
Also, Fausto Coppi, the first rider, who managed to win Tour and Giro in the same season (1949) entered the race (but didn’t finished) only one time, 1959. (Coppi won Giro d’Italia in 1940, 1947, 1949, 1952, 1953, abd Tour de France in 1949 and 1952)
Double grand tour winners
The last five-time Tour de France winner (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995), Miguel Indurain, has also two Giro d’Italia overall victory (1992, 1993) but his best result at the Spanish grand tour was a 2nd place (1990).
The Swiss Tony Rominger won 3 Vuelta (1992, 1993, 1994) and a Giro (1995), his best Tour de France result was a 2nd place in 1993, behind Miguel Indurain .
Another Swiss rider, Hugo Koblet managed to win both Giro (1950) and Tour (1951), as did Gastone Nencini (Giro in 1957 and Tour in 1960), Stephen Roche (Giro-Tour double in 1987) and Marco Pantani (Giro-Tour double in 1998).
Chaly Gaul, the Angel of the Mountains won the Giro twice (1956 and 1959) and the Zour once (1957), while Laurent Fignon won the Tour twice (1983 and 1984) and the Giro once (1989)
Riders who won both Tour and Vuelta one time:
Jan Jansen (Vuelta 1967, Tour 1968)
Luis Ocaña (Vuelta 1970, Tour 1973)
Roger Pingeon (Tour 1967, Vuelta 1969)
Joep Zoetemelk (Vuelta 1979, Tour 1980)
Jan Ullrich (Tour 1997, Vuelta 1997)
Giovanni Battaglin maganged to win in 1981 both Vuelta and Giro, while Denis Menchov won the Spanis race in 2007, and the Italian in 2009.
There are two active cyclist in the peloton, who won 2 of the 3 grand tours:
Nairo Quintana (Giro 2014 and Vuelta 2016)
and Egan Bernal, who won the Tour de France in 2019 and Giro d’Italia 2021. According to the latest La Vuelta 2022 news, he is going to attent the race. This will be his first race since his terible accident earlier this year.
(leadpic: Eddy Merckx at Vuelta 1973)