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In road bicycle racing, a Grand Tour refers to one of the three major European professional cycling stage races:
Tour de France - Tour of France (est. 1903), held in July
Giro d'Italia - Tour of Italy (est. 1909), held in May
Vuelta a España - Tour of Spain (est. 1935), held in September
Collectively they are termed the Grand Tours, and all three races are similar in format being multi-week races with daily stages.
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Description
In their current form, the Grand Tours are held over three consecutive weeks and typically include two "rest" days near the end of the first and second week. The stages are a mix of long massed start races (sometimes including mountain and hill climbs and descents; others are flat stages favoring those with a sprint finish), as well as individual and team time trials and non-competitive exhibition and rest days. Unlike most one-day races, stages in the Grand Tours are generally under 200 kilometers in length.
There is often controversy surrounding which teams are invited to the event. Typically, the Union Cycliste Internationale (International Cycling Union) will prefer for the top rated professional teams to enter, whilst the operators of the Grand Tours will often favour teams based within their country or those which are unlikely to cause controversy. From 2005–2007, organisers were obliged to accept all ProTour teams, leaving only two wildcard teams per Tour. However, the Unibet team, a ProTour team which would normally be guaranteed entry, was banned from the three Grand Tours due to gambling advertising laws. In 2008, following numerous doping scandals, some teams were refused entry to the Grand Tours: Astana did not compete at the 2008 Tour de France and Team Columbia did not compete at the 2008 Vuelta a España.
The Tour de France is the oldest and most prestigious of all three, and also the world's most famous cycling race. The Giro d'Italia is the second most important[1][2][3] and has occasionally been as popular as the Tour (late '40s, '50s, and early '70s). While the Tour de France has long been a household sporting name around the globe, known even to those not generally interested in cycling, the other two European Grand Tours are well known in Europe but relatively unknown outside the continent, where they are familiar only to cycling enthusiasts.
The prizes include the individual General Classification, the team classification, the King of the Mountains, the points classification, and often the best young rider classification, in addition to other less known classifications. The most contested ones are the individual general classification (Maillot jaune -yellow jersey- in the Tour de France, Maglia rosa -pink jersey- in the Giro d'Italia, and Jersey de oro -golden jersey- in the Vuelta a España); king of the mountains classification (Maillot à pois rouges -polka dot jersey- in the Tour, Maglia verde -green jersey- in the Giro, and Jersey naranja -orange jersey- in the Vuelta); and points classification (Maillot vert -green jersey- in the Tour, Maglia ciclamino -mauve jersey- in the Giro, and Jersey rosa -pink jersey- in the Vuelta). Only three riders have won all three in the same race: Eddy Merckx in the 1968 Giro d'Italia and 1969 Tour de France, Tony Rominger in the 1993 Vuelta a España and Laurent Jalabert in the 1995 Vuelta a España.
Statistics
Winners of all three Grand Tours
No cyclist has ever won all three Grand Tour events in the same year.
Only five cyclists have won all three of the Grand Tours during their career:
- Jacques Anquetil (FRA): 5 Tours (1957, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964), 2 Giros (1960, 1964), 1 Vuelta (1963).
- Alberto Contador (ESP): 2 Tours (2007, 2009), 1 Giro (2008), 1 Vuelta (2008)
- Felice Gimondi (ITA): 1 Tour (1965), 3 Giros (1967, 1969, 1976), 1 Vuelta (1968)
- Bernard Hinault (FRA): 5 Tours (1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1985), 3 Giros (1980, 1982, 1985), 2 Vueltas (1978, 1983)
Eddy Merckx (BEL): 5 Tours (1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974), 5 Giros (1968, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974), 1 Vuelta (1973)
Only three cyclists have won stages in all three of the Grand Tours in the same year:
- Miguel Poblet (ESP): 1956
- Pierino Baffi (ITA): 1958
- Alessandro Petacchi (ITA): 2003
Winners of Two Grand Tours in a Year
Nine riders have achieved a double by winning two grand tours in the same year.
Seven cyclists have won the Tour and the Giro in the same year:
- Fausto Coppi (ITA): 1949, 1952
- Jacques Anquetil (FRA): 1964
- Eddy Merckx (BEL): 1970, 1972, 1974
- Bernard Hinault (FRA): 1982, 1985
Stephen Roche (IRL): 1987- Miguel Indurain (ESP): 1992, 1993
- Marco Pantani (ITA): 1998
Two of the above seven have also done a Tour/Vuelta double in a different year:
- Jacques Anquetil (FRA): 1963
- Bernard Hinault (FRA): 1978
The Giro/Vuelta double has been achieved by three cyclists:
- Eddy Merckx (BEL): 1973
- Giovanni Battaglin (ITA): 1981
- Alberto Contador (ESP): 2008
Remarkably, of the above nine, Pantani, Roche and Battaglin's doubles were their only Grand Tour victories in their careers.
List of Multiple Grand Tour Winners
23 riders have won two or more Grand Tours in their career. The complete list of cyclists who won more than one Grand Tour in their careers is given below. This does not include multiple winners of the same Grand Tour such as Lance Armstrong who won the Tour de France seven times but did not win any other Grand Tour.
- Jacques Anquetil 1957 Tour de France; 1960 Giro d'Italia; 1961 Tour de France; 1962 Tour de France; 1963 Tour de France, Vuelta a España; 1964 Tour de France, Giro d'Italia.
- Gino Bartali 1936 Giro d'Italia; 1937 Giro d'Italia; 1938 Tour de France; 1946 Giro d'Italia; 1948 Tour de France.
- Giovanni Battaglin 1981 Giro d'Italia, Vuelta a España.
- Alberto Contador 2007 Tour de France; 2008 Giro d'Italia, Vuelta a España; 2009 Tour de France.
- Fausto Coppi 1940 Giro d'Italia; 1947 Giro d'Italia; 1949 Tour de France, Giro d'Italia; 1952 Tour de France, Giro d'Italia; 1953 Giro d'Italia.
- Pedro Delgado 1985 Vuelta a España; 1988 Tour de France; 1989 Vuelta a España.
- Laurent Fignon 1983 Tour de France; 1984 Tour de France; 1989 Giro d'Italia.
- Charly Gaul 1956 Giro d'Italia; 1958 Tour de France; 1959 Giro d'Italia.
- Felice Gimondi 1965 Tour de France; 1967 Giro d'Italia; 1968 Vuelta a España; 1969 Giro d'Italia; 1976 Giro d'Italia.
- Bernard Hinault 1978 Tour de France; Vuelta a España; 1979 Tour de France; 1980 Giro d'Italia; 1981 Tour de France; 1982 Tour de France; Giro d'Italia; 1983 Vuelta a España; 1985 Tour de France; Giro d'Italia.
- Miguel Indurain 1991 Tour de France; 1992 Tour de France; Giro d'Italia; 1993 Tour de France; Giro d'Italia; 1994 Tour de France; 1995 Tour de France.
- Jan Janssen 1967 Vuelta a España; 1968 Tour de France.
- Hugo Koblet 1950 Giro d'Italia; 1951 Tour de France.
- Eddy Merckx 1968 Giro d'Italia; 1969 Tour de France; 1970 Tour de France; Giro d'Italia; 1971 Tour de France; 1972 Tour de France; Giro d'Italia; 1973 Giro d'Italia; Vuelta a España; 1974 Tour de France; Giro d'Italia.
- Denis Menchov 2005 Vuelta a España; 2007 Vuelta a España; 2009 Giro d'Italia.
- Gastone Nencini 1957 Giro d'Italia; 1960 Tour de France.
- Luis Ocaña 1970 Vuelta a España; 1973 Tour de France.
- Marco Pantani 1998 Tour de France; Giro d'Italia.
- Roger Pingeon 1967 Tour de France; 1969 Vuelta a España.
- Stephen Roche 1987 Tour de France; Giro d'Italia.
- Toni Rominger 1992 Vuelta a España; 1993 Vuelta a España; 1994 Vuelta a España; 1995 Giro d'Italia.
- Jan Ullrich 1997 Tour de France; 1999 Vuelta a España.
- Joop Zoetemelk 1979 Vuelta a España; 1980 Tour de France.
Most Grand Tour Wins
| Name | Total Wins | Tour de France | Giro d'Italia | Vuelta a España |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eddy Merckx (BEL) |
11 | 5 (1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974) | 5 (1968, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974) | 1 (1973) |
| Bernard Hinault (FRA) |
10 | 5 (1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1985) | 3 (1980, 1982, 1985) | 2 (1978, 1983) |
| Jacques Anquetil (FRA) |
8 | 5 (1957, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964) | 2 (1960, 1964) | 1 (1963) |
 Lance Armstrong (USA) |
7 | 7 (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005) | 0 | 0 |
| Fausto Coppi (ITA) |
7 | 2 (1949, 1952) | 5 (1940, 1947, 1949, 1952, 1953) | 0 |
| Miguel Indurain (ESP) |
7 | 5 (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995) | 2 (1992, 1993) | 0 |
| Gino Bartali (ITA) |
5 | 2 (1938, 1948) | 3 (1936, 1937, 1946) | 0 |
| Alfredo Binda (ITA) |
5 | 0 | 5 (1923, 1925, 1927, 1928, 1929) | 0 |
| Felice Gimondi (ITA) |
5 | 1 (1965) | 3 (1967, 1969, 1976) | 1 (1968) |
 Tony Rominger (SUI) |
4 | 0 | 1 (1995) | 3 (1992, 1993, 1994) |
| Alberto Contador (ESP) |
4 | 2 (2007, 2009) | 1 (2008) | 1 (2008) |
| Louison Bobet (FRA) |
3 | 3 (1953, 1954, 1955) | 0 | 0 |
| Giovanni Brunero (ITA) |
3 | 0 | 3 (1921, 1922, 1926) | 0 |
| Pedro Delgado (ESP) |
3 | 1 (1988) | 0 | 2 (1985, 1989) |
| Laurent Fignon (FRA) |
3 | 2 (1983, 1984) | 1 (1989) | 0 |
| Carlo Galetti (ITA) |
3 | 0 | 3 (1910, 1911, 1912) | 0 |
 Charly Gaul (LUX) |
3 | 1 (1958) | 2 (1956, 1959) | 0 |
| Roberto Heras (ESP) |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 (2000, 2003, 2004) |
| Greg LeMond (USA) |
3 | 3 (1986, 1989, 1990) | 0 | 0 |
| Fiorenzo Magni (ITA) |
3 | 0 | 3 (1948, 1951, 1955) | 0 |
| Philippe Thys (BEL) |
3 | 3 (1913, 1914, 1920) | 0 | 0 |
 Denis Menchov (RUS) |
3 | 0 | 1 (2009) | 2 (2005, 2007) |
| Franco Balmamion (ITA) |
2 | 0 | 2 (1962, 1963) | 0 |
| Giovanni Battaglin (ITA) |
2 | 0 | 1 (1981) | 1 (1981) |
| Julián Berrendero (ESP) |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 (1941, 1942) |
| Ottavio Bottecchia (ITA) |
2 | 2 (1924, 1925) | 0 | 0 |
| Gustaaf Deloor (BEL) |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 (1935, 1936) |
| Nicolas Frantz (LUX) |
2 | 2 (1927, 1928) | 0 | 0 |
| José Manuel Fuente (ESP) |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 (1972, 1974) |
| Ivan Gotti (ITA) |
2 | 0 | 2 (1997, 1999) | 0 |
 Jan Janssen (NED) |
2 | 1 (1968) | 0 | 1 (1967) |
| Hugo Koblet (SUI) |
2 | 1 (1951) | 1 (1950) | 0 |
| Firmin Lambot (BEL) |
2 | 2 (1919, 1922) | 0 | 0 |
| André Leducq (FRA) |
2 | 2 (1930, 1932) | 0 | 0 |
| Sylvère Maes (BEL) |
2 | 2 (1936, 1939) | 0 | 0 |
| Antonin Magne (FRA) |
2 | 2 (1931, 1934) | 0 | 0 |
| Luis Ocaña (ESP) |
2 | 1 (1973) | 0 | 1 (1970) |
| Marco Pantani (ITA) |
2 | 1 (1998) | 1 (1998) | 0 |
| Lucien Petit-Breton (FRA) |
2 | 2 (1907, 1908) | 0 | 0 |
| Roger Pingeon (FRA) |
2 | 1 (1967) | 1 (1969) | 0 |
| Stephen Roche (IRL) |
2 | 1 (1987) | 1 (1987) | 0 |
| Paolo Savoldelli (ITA) |
2 | 0 | 2 (2002, 2005) | 0 |
| Giuseppe Saronni (ITA) |
2 | 0 | 2 (1979, 1983) | 0 |
| Gilberto Simoni (ITA) |
2 | 0 | 2 (2001, 2003) | 0 |
| Bernard Thévenet (FRA) |
2 | 2 (1975, 1977) | 0 | 0 |
 Jan Ullrich (GER) |
2 | 1 (1997) | 0 | 1 (1999) |
| Giovanni Valetti (ITA) |
2 | 0 | 2 (1938, 1939) | 0 |
| Joop Zoetemelk (NED) |
2 | 1 (1980) | 0 | 1 (1979) |
| Alex Zülle (SUI) |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 (1996, 1997) |
Wins by Nationality
| Nation | Giro d'Italia | Tour de France | Vuelta a España | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Italy |
65 | 9 | 4 | 78 |
| France |
6 | 36 | 9 | 51 |
| Spain |
3 | 12 | 29 | 44 |
| Belgium |
7 | 18 | 7 | 32 |
| USA |
1 | 10 | 0 | 11 |
| Switzerland |
3 | 2 | 5 | 10 |
| Luxembourg |
2 | 4 | 0 | 6 |
| Russia |
3 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Netherlands |
0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Germany |
0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Ireland |
1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
 Denmark |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Colombia |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Kazakhstan |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Sweden |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Recent Winners
1Floyd Landis finished first, but he tested positive for elevated ratios of testosterone after Stage 17 of the Tour. On September 20, 2007, Landis was found guilty of doping and ordered that he forfeit his 2006 Tour de France victory, making Pereiro the official winner.[4]
2Menchov finished second in the race, but was elevated to first when Roberto Heras was disqualified after testing positive for the banned performance enhancing substance EPO.
See also
References
- ^ An American in Italy cyclingnews.com, May 5, 2009
- ^ Million dollar, baby! cyclingnews.com, January 12, 2007
- ^ Vuelta a España A-Z cyclingnews.com, September 7, 2008
- ^ Landis loses verdict, must forfeit Tour title MSNBC, September 20, 2007
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