Is it time to rethink cycling’s Triple Crown?

Tadej Pogačar won the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France so far—and now he wants to win the road worlds. If he accomplishes that, he will become only the third male cyclist to win cycling’s Triple Crown.

A rare accomplishment in the history of cycling

The last rider in men’s cycling to achieve this was Stephen Roche in 1987. Roche won the Giro d’Italia by narrowly defeating Italian rider Roberto Visentini. He went on to win the 1987 Tour in dramatic fashion, beating Spanish rider Pedro Delgado. Roche didn’t believe he had the fitness to win the road worlds in Villach, Austria, so he opted to support his fellow Irishman Sean Kelly. Roche ended up covering the race-winning move and, using an early sprint, took the rainbow jersey.

Eddy Merckx actually completed the Giro-Tour double four times between 1970 and 1974, but it was only in 1974 that he also secured the rainbow jersey. That year, he won the road worlds in Montreal—the first time the event was held outside Europe.

Big Mig was one place away

Miguel Indurain came close to the Triple Crown in 1993; after winning the Giro and Tour, he finished second at the road worlds in Norway. The winner? Neo-pro Lance Armstrong.
Given that there are three Grand Tours, why has the Vuelta a España never factored into the Triple Crown? Wouldn’t it make more sense to have the greatest prize in cycling include the three biggest stage races?

Lance Armstrong 🇺🇸wins the 1993 World Championships in Oslo. Indurain outsprinted quite a few good sprinters for 2nd place.
2nd – Miguel Indurain 🇪🇸
3rd – Olaf Ludwig 🇩🇪
4th – Johan Museeuw 🇧🇪
5th – Maurizio Fondriest 🇮🇹#Imola2020 pic.twitter.com/HIDpUPL4yP

— Pro Cycling Memories (@ClipsCycling) September 25, 2020

Winning all three Grand Tours

Seven riders in the history of men’s cycling have won all three Grand Tours—but not in the same year: Jacques Anquetil, Chris Froome, Felice Gimondi, Bernard Hinault, Alberto Contador, Vincenzo Nibali, and Merckx. Merckx, Hinault, and Froome have achieved the feat of winning all three Grand Tours consecutively across two seasons, thus holding the pink, yellow, and red jerseys simultaneously.

Stephen Roche discusses Tadej Pogačar’s chances of winning the Giro, Tour and worlds

The reason why the Vuelta has never been included in the Triple Crown is due to scheduling. Although the Spanish Grand Tour has been around since 1935, for years it conflicted with the Giro. Before 1995, the Vuelta was held in late April to May. The Giro was more prestigious, so the top riders tended to race it. The Vuelta’s dates were then moved to August to September in hopes of attracting bigger names—which it did.

Time for a change?

The timing of the Vuelta now is also important for riders who aim to perform well at the road worlds, which are held in late September or early October. In 2023, the UCI moved the date to August for the inaugural “super worlds,” but it had previously been scheduled later in the calendar.

Many have speculated whether Pogačar would try to become the first male cyclist to win all three Grand Tours in a single year. Both he and his management have said this won’t be happening this year—they reiterate the goal of the rainbow jersey—but it remains an intriguing concept. Although the Triple Crown is not a formal prize, why not “rebrand” it to include all three Grand Tours?

It’s not to say that winning the Giro, the Tour, and the road worlds is an easy task—but winning the Giro, the Tour, and the Vuelta in the same year would be the greatest achievement for any rider in the history of men’s cycling.

Tennis has its Grand Slam—winning four majors in one year. Golf has its Triple Crown—three major golf championships in the same year. So a proper Triple Crown for cycling would involve winning three similar races—the Grand Tours.

The only downside is it may destroy the rider. Although several cyclists have raced three Grand Tours in the same year (hello Sepp Kuss!), they don’t necessarily race each one to win.

Team UAE – Emirates boss Mauro Gianetti said sending Pogačar to the Vuelta would be a mistake. “I’m not sending him. It would be too much stress to attempt a third Grand Tour with the goal of victory,” Gianetti said. “Sure, if he won, it would be something unique, but I also have to think about his future. I don’t want to risk burning him out. And if I push him too hard? You know, if he were to win, we’d be criticized for being greedy. If it goes badly, we’d face a lot of criticism.”

Cycling is steeped in tradition, so it’s probably a long shot that this would happen. Many fans have called for Strade Bianche to be added to the list of cycling’s Monuments, for example, but it’s doubtful that will ever occur given its relatively recent addition to the calendar. Nevertheless, achieving such a treble would be a remarkable accomplishment and a significant legacy for any rider. (Just winning one Grand Tour is a huge deal!)

Speaking of the Vuelta—it will be here before you know it: August 17. And the Tour de France Femmes is right around the corner: August 12.