How many riders have managed to inscribe their names on the list of winners of the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and the Vuelta a España? Professional cycling features thousands of participants each season, but only a handful of champions have won the overall classification of the three grand tours. Analyzing this small group allows us to measure how rare this achievement remains and to understand what distinguishes these riders from the rest of the peloton.
Age at the time of the triple: a marker of precocity or endurance
The most revealing data is not the number of victories accumulated, but the age at which each rider completed their triple. This parameter distinguishes two very different profiles among the cyclists who have won the 3 grand tours.
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Jonas Vingegaard completed the series at 29 years old by winning the Giro 2026, becoming the eighth rider in history to achieve this feat. By comparison, several of his predecessors had waited until their thirties to complete their collection. This rejuvenation of the triple coincides with the evolution of physical preparation and the support of modern teams.
In contrast, other champions have built their palmarès over time, targeting a different grand tour depending on the seasons and their current form. The profile of the “endurance” rider, capable of performing over a full decade, contrasts with that of the early champion who quickly dominates all three races.
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Comparative table of winners of the three grand tours
The table below groups the riders who have won each of the three grand tours at least once during their careers.
| Rider | Nationality | Tour de France | Giro | Vuelta |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eddy Merckx | Belgium | 5 | 5 | 1 |
| Bernard Hinault | France | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| Jacques Anquetil | France | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| Alberto Contador | Spain | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Vincenzo Nibali | Italy | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Chris Froome | United Kingdom | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Felice Gimondi | Italy | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Jonas Vingegaard | Denmark | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Reading this table reveals a clear imbalance. The most prolific riders (Merckx, Hinault, Anquetil) concentrate their victories on the Tour de France and the Giro. The Vuelta often remains the last grand tour conquered, the one that completes the collection without being the primary hunting ground.
Specialization of modern riders and the rarity of the triple
Contemporary cycling pushes towards hyper-specialization. Teams build entire seasons around a single overall classification goal. A grand tour leader generally targets only one, sometimes two stage races in a year.
This trend makes the profile of a rider capable of winning all three grand tours increasingly rare. Pure climbers optimize their peak form for the Tour de France or the Giro. Vuelta specialists exploit the heat and high-altitude finishes in Spain. Winning on all three terrains requires a versatility that has become exceptional.
- The Tour de France favors consistent riders over three weeks, with a yellow jersey often decided on a few mountain stages and a long time trial
- The Giro d’Italia offers more unpredictable routes, with tricky medium mountain stages and variable weather conditions in May
- The Vuelta a España, held at the end of the season in the heat, rewards riders capable of managing accumulated fatigue and the steep gradients of Spanish climbs
Each race imposes distinct qualities. An explosive climber may dominate the Vuelta without ever winning the Tour de France, where time management and teamwork weigh more heavily.
Vingegaard and Pogačar: the triple as a stake in the current rivalry
Recent news has brought this achievement back to the forefront of discussions. Vingegaard became in 2026 the eighth member of this exclusive club by winning his first Giro. Tadej Pogačar, who won the Giro and the Tour de France in 2024, has not yet conquered the Vuelta.
Pogačar remains the logical favorite to complete the triple, given his ability to dominate in the mountains and time trials. The fact that Vingegaard has outpaced him in this quest adds an extra dimension to their rivalry.
This duel also illustrates a shift in the symbolic hierarchy of cycling. The debate about the greatest champions is no longer limited to the number of Tour de France wins. The triple of the grand tours is becoming a criterion of comparison in its own right, alongside victories in the Monuments of cycling.
The triple of the grand tours versus the Monuments: two measures of greatness
Recent analyses show that the discussion about the best riders in history now incorporates the combination of grand tours and classics. A rider who wins all three grand tours without ever winning a Monument (Milan-San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Tour of Lombardy) presents a different palmarès from one who accumulates both.
Eddy Merckx remains the absolute reference on this double criterion: winner of all three grand tours and all the Monuments. No active rider approaches this completeness. Pogačar has won several Monuments, which fuels the debate about his place in history, while Vingegaard has focused on stage races.
Only eight riders have won all three grand tours since the creation of the Vuelta. This number, stable for years before Vingegaard’s arrival, could evolve if Pogačar targets the Vuelta in the coming seasons. The rarity of this achievement, in an increasingly specialized peloton, confirms that it is the most demanding marker of general classification cycling.