I remember a few years ago Pantani winning the Giro and the Tdf and I was kind of hoping he’d have a crack at the Vuelta but he didn’t . I know he was discredited but is it possible for a rider to recover enough between tours or is it something that we will never see .

They would need some properly good drugs to even consider trying.

Not even possible with a massively strong team ?

stephen roche managed the triple crown in 87. pretty damn close.

Dave Brailsford was interviewed at the end of the Giro last week and asked that question and said he believes it is doable, would need the stars to align, the right courses, perfect health, maybe some bad luck for rivals etc. but he does think it can be done and does think he will see it done which surprised me, as I was of the opinion its a no as too demanding

not unless their main rivals all tried as well (or else some rivals crash out or get ill)

Not a chance.

Even winning two of them seems a challenge, though – even with Sky’s team, it just doesn’t seem to be quite within reach. You’d perhaps need to have two teams of domestiques (think injury, tiredness, plus cadence of training), and they’d have to be pretty strong to protect the principal.

I guess if you had a year where, say, Contador broke a leg, Nibali crashed and had a niggling injury, Quintana got flu or something, then perhaps Sky could do it?

Dumoulin might have something to say about that .

Ramsey Neil – Member
Dumoulin might have something to say about that .

and if there is another year like the UK start and cobbles race where the main field was decimated then he might have a shot at 2, that then leaves Spain and if the main guys are still in plaster maybe if he doesn’t burn out.
The Tour will be harder than the Giro with the big teams bringing their A List out, if you race a hard 3 weeks chasing that what do you have left for spain?

stephen roche managed the triple crown in 87. pretty damn close.

Winning a 3 week tour is a bit different from winning a one day race, even if it is the worlds.

Never say never but I think it’s too big an ask. In the third one (and even the second) the fatigued contender will be up against fresh riders who’ve prepared specifically for that one race.

If it wasn’t done in the era of Merckx or Hinault I don’t think it will be done now when there seem to be many more riders in with a chance in the tours.

Dumoulin might have something to say about that .

He’s good but he’s a country mile off being that good.

EPO era Bertie was probably the modern rider with the best chance!

I think quintana was attemting it this year. But (i think) he went into the giro under trained, misjudged his opponents. He is probably the only rider capable of it. But as said iyt would need luck, suitable courses, etc

not unless their main rivals all tried as well

Thats the thing really, even if all the strongest competitors inadvertently agreed to all see 3 wins as their season target and therefore find themselves competing like for like on more or less the same strategy- that would just leave the door open in each tour for for someone focusing all their effort on one tour win to come out of the shadows – those big players would finish the year having won nothing.

Yes, but as said….you’d need the stars to line up, so many variables!

Everything is impossible until someone goes and does it.

Impossible no, highly improbable yes

Its tough enough riding all 3, let alone winning them. Adam Hansen seems to get a lot of plaudits just for riding them all and he’s not exactly troubling GC.

Obviously not totally impossible, but highly unlikely considering that even if the big guns were all riding all three – they’d be peaking at different times and the courses would favour different riders.