Crank It Up

How does LA's dominance compare to cycling greats from other eras?

It's undeniable that LA is the Greatest cyclist of his era. However, it's interesting to note that all of the other 5 times TdF winners (Anquetil, Merckx, Hinault, Indurain)had also won the Giro d'Italia during their peak years. Clearly, TdF is THE race that matters to Lance (Andy Hampsten being the only U.S. rider to have won the Giro). Was there a cyclist who has actually won the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France, and Vuelta a Espaņa ALL in the same year?

Giro d'Italia winners:
1946 Vasco Bergamaschi Italy
1947 Fausto Coppi Italy
1948 Fiorenzo Magni Italy
1949 Fausto Coppi Italy
1950 Hugo Koblet Switzerland
1951 Fiorenzo Magni Italy
1952 Fausto Coppi Italy
1953 Fausto Coppi Italy
1954 Carlo Clerici Switzerland
1955 Fiorenzo Magni Italy
1956 Charly Gaul Luxembourg
1957 Gastone Nencini Italy
1958 Ercole Baldini Italy
1959 Charly Gaul Luxembourg
1960 Jacques Anquetil France
1961 Arnaldo Pambianco Italy
1962 Franco Balmamion Italy
1963 Franco Balmamion Italy
1964 Jacques Anquetil France
1965 Vittorio Adorni Italy
1966 Gianni Motta Italy
1967 Felice Gimondi Italy
1968 Eddy Merckx Belgium
1969 Felice Gimondi Italy
1970 Eddy Merckx Belgium
1971 Gosta Petterson Sweden
1972 Eddy Merckx Belgium
1973 Eddy Merckx Belgium
1974 Eddy Merckx Belgium
1975 Fausto Bertoglio Italy
1976 Felice Gimondi Italy
1977 Michel Pollentier Belgium
1978 Johan de Muynck Belgium
1979 Giuseppe Saronni Italy
1980 Bernard Hinault France
1981 Giovanni Battaglin Italy
1982 Bernard Hinault France
1983 Giuseppe Saronni Italy
1984 Francesco Moser Italy
1985 Bernard Hinault France
1986 Roberto Visentini Italy
1987 Stephen Roche Ireland
1988 Andrew Hampsten U.S
1989 Laurent Fignon France
1990 Gianni Bugno Italy
1991 Franco Chiocciolo Italy
1992 Miguel Indurain Spain
1993 Miguel Indurain Spain
1994 Eugeni Berzin Russia
1995 Tony Rominger Switzerland
1996 Pavel Tonkov Russia
1997 Ivan Gotti Italy
1998 Marco Pantani Italy
1999 Ivan Gotti Italy
2000 Stefano Garzelli Italy
2001 Gilberto Simoni Italy
2002 Paolo Savoldelli Italy
2003 Gilberto Simoni Italy
2004 Damiano Cunego Italy

Laggard

No one has done that triple.

TOUR / GIRO WINS IN ONE YEAR

1949 - Fausto Coppi
1952 - Fausto Coppi
1964 - Jacques Anquetil
1970 - Eddy Merckx
1972 - Eddy Merckx
1974 - Eddy Merckx
1982 - Bernard Hinault
1985 - Bernard Hinault
1987 - Bernard Hinault
1992 - Miguel Indurain
1993 - Miguel Indurain
1998 - Marco Pantani

TOUR / VUELTA WINS IN ONE YEAR

1963 - Jacques Anquetil
1978 - Bernard Hinault

GIRO / VUELTA WINS IN ONE YEAR

1973 - Eddy Merckx
1981 - Giovanni Battaglin

Surprisingly, no one has ever one the Vuelta and Worlds in the same year.

Iron Chef

But can anyone say they won the Tour de France and the Tour of Georgia both the same year.

glenghillie

I heard talk, and probably just that, of LA going for all three next year. Maybe it was just wishful thinking or "what if" thinking.

Anyone else here this. I could have sworn it was Phil that mentioned it.

live311

Contractual obligations with the new team sponsor will probably require him to ride tour in "05. In an interview a few months ago, Lance expressed interest in riding the Giro in '05. Nothing is written in stone yet.

Devil

Check the latest on cyclingnews.com.

Faster

I don't think it's possible anymore. Not unless there's some radical paradigm shift in training that suddenly produces an Eddy Merckx. Merckx won so often because he was in much better shape physically than his competitors, and because he didn't have much respect for tradition - he won as often as he could. It's why he was so hated in France ...

Todays riders are too fit, we know too much about training. So everyone's just too close to have someone capable of peaking three times in one season to a sufficient level to defeat another rider who has peaked specifically for the Tour.

Devil

It's not possible anymore? Pantani did the Giro/Tour double in 1998. That was only 6 years ago.

Laggard

It's still possible. Two years ago I think Lance could have done the Tour Vuelta double. I still think that with the right course he could do the Tour Worlds combo.

Crack'n'fail

I don't see him going for a triple or even a double in a year. I think he will want to win those other two races at some point though to help improve his standing among the greats like Merckx and Hinault