All Grand tours in one year?



Andrija

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Feb 16, 2005
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There is one thing I'd like to see - a rider winning all three grand tours in one year. I know it sounds like SF, specially nowadays when riders are preparing all season just for one grand tour (TDF mostly), but I think Merckx would have done that if schedule then was like it is today, probably Hinault too. For me that would be the real "Triple Crown". I know it's hard even to participate in all three GT, but winning all of them in one year would be something. Do you think it's possible and what do you think, what rider is capable of doing that?

My tip is Valverde. Here's why: his main objective in future will be Tour, to prepare for the Tour he can ride Giro and win it and as a Spaniard he would be very motivated to win Vuelta.

And I think it's doable, there are 5 weeks between grand tours and 10 more days till decisive stages, enough time for proper recovery, but also, it's very long time to keep high level of form.

For the beginning, maybe I should wait to see someone do the grand tour double (first time after Pantani)

P.S.

The cyclist who would do that will, maybe, be greater than Merckx and Armstrong together.

 
- Close friends Rik Verbrugghe and Thierry Marichal, who are set to be reunited at Cofidis next season, have told their team-mates at a pre-season gathering that their goal next season is to ride in all three major tours. “It was done for publicity,” Verbrugghe told La Dernière Heure. “We spoke to the management about it and they weren’t against the idea. From the physical point of view riding the three major tours isn’t as hard as riding lots of other medium-length stage races, the difficulty is more psychological.”

Andrija said:
There is one thing I'd like to see - a rider winning all three grand tours in one year. I know it sounds like SF, specially nowadays when riders are preparing all season just for one grand tour (TDF mostly), but I think Merckx would have done that if schedule then was like it is today, probably Hinault too. For me that would be the real "Triple Crown". I know it's hard even to participate in all three GT, but winning all of them in one year would be something. Do you think it's possible and what do you think, what rider is capable of doing that?

My tip is Valverde. Here's why: his main objective in future will be Tour, to prepare for the Tour he can ride Giro and win it and as a Spaniard he would be very motivated to win Vuelta.

And I think it's doable, there are 5 weeks between grand tours and 10 more days till decisive stages, enough time for proper recovery, but also, it's very long time to keep high level of form.

For the beginning, maybe I should wait to see someone do the grand tour double (first time after Pantani)

P.S.

The cyclist who would do that will, maybe, be greater than Merckx and Armstrong together.

 
Andrija said:
There is one thing I'd like to see - a rider winning all three grand tours in one year. I know it sounds like SF, specially nowadays when riders are preparing all season just for one grand tour (TDF mostly), but I think Merckx would have done that if schedule then was like it is today, probably Hinault too. For me that would be the real "Triple Crown". I know it's hard even to participate in all three GT, but winning all of them in one year would be something. Do you think it's possible and what do you think, what rider is capable of doing that?

My tip is Valverde. Here's why: his main objective in future will be Tour, to prepare for the Tour he can ride Giro and win it and as a Spaniard he would be very motivated to win Vuelta.

And I think it's doable, there are 5 weeks between grand tours and 10 more days till decisive stages, enough time for proper recovery, but also, it's very long time to keep high level of form.

For the beginning, maybe I should wait to see someone do the grand tour double (first time after Pantani)

P.S.

The cyclist who would do that will, maybe, be greater than Merckx and Armstrong together.

It would be great, but impossible!
 
cyclingheroes said:
It would be great, but impossible!

To ride all three in one season is doable but stupid. Whats the point?

To win, or podium in all thre impossible, no I'll take it one step further, to make top ten in all three impossible these days. The other riders are too good, too strong, too fresh.
 
bobke said:
To ride all three in one season is doable but stupid. Whats the point?
The point is to do something no one has ever done before. To become a legend. And to make us, cycling lovers, happy. I wasn't born when Merckx was riding and destroying his opponents, so I would like to see some new Cannibal.

 
Andrija said:
The point is to do something no one has ever done before. To become a legend. And to make us, cycling lovers, happy. I wasn't born when Merckx was riding and destroying his opponents, so I would like to see some new Cannibal.
Do you think Jan had any chance against Lance? Maybe in 2003 Jan had some chances but he lost the battle anyway...
 
Mareno Lajaretta of Spain used ride all the grand tours in a year in the late 1980's and early 1990's.

I can't see anyone being capable of winning all three grand tours in a season.

I would suspect that the reason why Merckx never attempted it was because the Vuelta used to be held in April, during the cycling season, and after his program of classic/one day races, even he couldn't have the strength to try for
a triple crown.
 
guncha said:
Do you think Jan had any chance against Lance? Maybe in 2003 Jan had some chances but he lost the battle anyway...

Yes, 2003 TDF was the only edition when Jan could beat Lance. He should attack more in the Pyrenees and if he hasn't fallen in that last TT... He had a chance, big chance.
But I'm not sure I understand how is this thread related with my question?

 
Basically, all three are Spring / Summer, so no, I don't think it's possible. If you were looking at something like Feb, May, Sept I could believe it. I'm not sure about winning all three under such a schedule, but attempting all three would be possible.
 

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