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Tour, Giro, and Vuelta: Cycling Grand Tours Statistics Compared (2023)

I love cycling, and I enjoy playing with numbers. One day, I asked myself: What if I combine these two hobbies? What if I create a comparison of cycling Grand Tours statistics?

The result is a unique comparison of all three Grand Tours: Tour de France , Giro d’Italia , and Vuelta a España .

I am sure you will see some of these stats for the first time.

Below, you will find comparisons of all edition distances, average stage lengths, general, mountain, and points classification winners’ height and weight data, rider BMI, and many more interesting stats.

Abbreviations used: GC – General Classification, GT – Grand Tour, TdF – Tour de France, BMI – Body Mass Index

I used publicly available data from sites such as wikipedia.org , procyclingstats.com , and official GT websites letour.fr , giroditalia.it , and lavuelta.es for the statistics and charts below. Some data is not available (especially the rider’s weights/heights).

Please, also remember the following:

• The Tour de France did not take place between 1915-1918 and 1940-1946.
• Giro d’Italia did not take place between 1915-1918 and 1941-1945.
• Vuelta a España did not take place between 1937-1940, 1943-1944, and 1951-1954.
• Lance Armstrong was stripped of all his results and prizes from 1 August 1998. No alternative winners of TdF 1999-2005 were declared yet.
• The actual rider’s racing weight could vary.

I update this article once a year once all Grand Tours are finished.

Grand Tours Total Distance

Let’s start with the basics. The chart below shows the total distance of individual Grand Tour editions. The Tour de France was the longest Grand Tour for decades.

The average Grand Tour length of all editions is 3,747 km . It was around 3,680 km between 1960-1980, 3,720 km between 1980-2000, and “only” 3,390 km between 2000-2020. The average length of the 2023 Grand Tours is 3,297 km .

Number and Length of Grand Tours Stages

The number of stages experienced an opposite trend to the average length. While the first Tour de France editions had only six stages, this number multiplied in the following decades and oscillated around 21 for the past decades.

The average Grand Tour stage length of all editions is 200 km (time trials included).

It was a whopping 278 km between 1909-1939 and 191 km between 1949-1979 (excluding Vuelta because its first edition took place in 1935). The average stage length of the 2023 Grand Tours is 157 km .

Grand Tours Average Speed

The average Grand Tours speed of all editions is 35.42 km/h .

It increased dramatically over time, mainly thanks to technological progress, better training methods, and nutrition—it exceeded the mighty 40 km/h mark.

The average speed of the 2023 Grand Tours was 40.49 km/h .

Will we ever see a Grand Tour surpassing the average speed of 45 km/h?

TIP : Interested in cycling? Feel free to read my guide on how to choose a bike type in 5 minutes or less.

Grand Tours (Historical Extremes)

What about the longest and shortest editions ?

Unsurprisingly, the Tour de France was the longest Grand Tour ever in 1926. Riders had to cover 5,745 km (about the same distance from New York to London).

The longest Giro d’Italia took place in 1954 (4,337 km), and the longest Vuelta a España was in 1936 (4,407 km).

The shortest Grand Tour ever was also the Tour de France.

The first two editions (1903 and 1904) were the same length of 2,428 km .

The shortest Giro was 15 km longer (1912), and the Vuelta 14 km longer (1963), resulting in 2,443 and 2,443 km.

Speaking of length, here is another “best” for the Tour de France.

The longest Grand Tour stage ever ( 482 km ) was the 5th stage in the 1919 edition.

Meanwhile, the longest Giro stage (stage 3 in 1914) was 52 km shorter. Vuelta falls behind with only a 310 km stage (stage 6 in 1935).

However, Vuelta holds a record for the fastest Grand Tour edition ever. Riders covered the 58th edition of Vuelta a España (2003) with an average speed of 42.53 km/h .

The fastest TdF was in 2022 (41.84 km/h) and Giro in 2011 (41.86 km/h).

The title for the slowest Grand Tour holds Giro d’Italia. 1914 Giro was ridden at an average speed of 23.37 km/h .

My humble guess is that this record won’t be broken – 8 out of 12 stages were classified as mountain stages.

The slowest Tour de France took place in 1924 (5,425 km). The winner, Ottavio Bottecchia, reached the winning time of 226h 18′ 21″, resulting in an average speed of 23.97 km/h.

The slowest Vuelta a España (25.72 km/h) took place in 1948. It took the winner 155h 06′ 30″ to cover the 3,990 km.

IMPORTANT NOTE : Many websites (including Wikipedia) list the 1919 Tour de France as the slowest TdF ever. This figure is incorrect because the winning time of Firmin Lambot was 231h 07′ 15″. The 1919 edition was 5,560 km long. When we do some math, it is easy to calculate that the average speed was 24.0567 km/h.

Rider’s Height, Weight, and BMI (Over Time)

How do the rider’s height, weight, and BMI develop over time? How do these data differ between riders for the general classification, climbers, and sprinters?

Unfortunately, the weights and heights of riders from the past century are often missing. So, the resulting trends can be skewed.

General Classification Winners

Are GC riders getting taller and leaner?

The past decades have shown that even riders above 1.85m can win Grand Tours—to name a few: Chris Froome, Bradley Wiggins, Miguel Indurain, Fabio Aru, or Tom Dumoulin, who are all tall riders.

The GC winner’s height oscillates around 179 cm (±10 cm). Giro and Vuelta seem to be more “short riders friendly.” More riders below 175 cm won these Grand Tours in the past decades.

The trend for the lower weight also seems not to be a myth.

Although many heights and weight data are not available, the following chart shows that riders are really getting leaner on average .

An average GC winner’s weight was 67.67 kg between 1980-2000, while only 64.33 kg between 2000-2020.

The most interesting chart of the series of these 3 is probably the following BMI chart. BMI uses your height and weight to work out if your weight is healthy. ( Source )

Here is a quick guide on how to interpret the values:

• Below 18.5 – underweight,
• 18.5-24.9 – normal,
• 25.0-29.9 – overweight,
• 30.0 and above – obese.

The GC winner’s BMI has varied between 21 and 19 in recent decades, averaging around 20.11 . For example, Chris Froome’s BMI was around 19.08 when he won his Grand Tours, and Sepp Kuss’s (Vuelta 2023 winner) was even lower at 18.42.

BMI CALCULATOR

Mountain Classification Winners

The height data of the winners of mountain classification is also exciting. The average height of the GT mountain classification winner is 1.74 m .

Vuelta is, according to some people, considered the toughest GT. However, based on data, the average weight of the Giro mountain classification winner is 64.4 kg.

The average weight of the GT mountain classification winner is 64.4 kg .

The average BMI of mountain classification winners is 21.19 .

We can see a similar trend like with GC winners. Nowadays, climbers have a lower BMI on average than at the beginning of this classification. The average BMI of mountain classification winners is lower than the BMI of GC winners (21.51).

Points Classification Winners

Sprinters and all-around riders’ height rarely goes below 1.70 m or exceeds 1.85 m . The average height of a points classification winner is 1.79 m .

Not surprisingly, sprinters and all-around riders are heavier than climbers. The average weight of a GT points classification winner is 71.3 kg .

The average BMI of points classification winners is 22.3 . However, the BMI variance of individual winners has been relatively significant in recent years.

Rider’s Height, Weight, and BMI (Historical Extremes)

The following stats are focused on historical extremes. You can easily compare your own height and weight with Grand Tour GC winners.

The average height of a Grand Tour GC winner is 1.77 m .

The tallest GC winner ever is Bradley Wiggins (TdF 2012). He is 1.90 m tall.

The shortest GC winner ever was Romain Maes (Tour de France 1935 winner). He was 1.60 m tall.

The average weight of a Grand Tour GC winner is 67.4 kg .

The heaviest GC winner was Tour de France 1909 winner François Faber. He weighed 88 kg .

The lightest GC winner was Marco Pantani. He won the Tour de France and Giro in the same year (1998), weighing just 57 kg .

A GC winner has an average BMI of 21.51 .

A GC winner with the highest BMI was François Faber. He won the 1909 Tour de France with a BMI of 27.77 (1.78 m, 88 kg).

A GC winner with the lowest BMI was Sepp Kuss. He won the 2023 Vuelta with a BMI of 18.42 (1.82 m, 61 kg).

The average height of a mountain classification GT winner is 1.74 m .

The tallest mountain classification winner ever was Mauricio Soler (TdF 2007). He is 1.90 m tall.

The shortest mountain classification winner ever was Mariano Díaz (Vuelta 1967). He was 1.59 m tall.

The average weight of a mountain classification winner is 64.4 kg .

The heaviest mountain classification winner was the Giro d’Italia 1933 mountain classification winner Alfredo Binda. He weighed 77 kg .

The lightest mountain classification winner was José Rujano. He won the 2005 Giro mountain classification, weighing just 48 kg .

A mountain classification winner has an average BMI of 21.19 .

A mountain classification winner with the highest BMI was Mariano Díaz. He won the 1967 Vuelta a España mountain classification with a BMI of 24.92 (1.59 m, 63 kg).

A mountain classification winner with the lowest BMI was José Rujano. He won the 2005 Giro mountain classification with a BMI of 18.29 (1.62 m, 48 kg).

The average height of a points classification GT winner is 1.79 m .

The tallest points classification winner ever was Tom Boonen (TdF 2007). He is 1.92 m tall.

The shortest points classification winner ever was Stan Ockers (TdF 1955 and 1956). He was 1.65 m tall.

The average weight of a points classification winner is 71.3 kg .

The heaviest points classification winner was Rik Van Steenbergen. He won Vuelta a España 1956 points classification weighing 83 kg .

The lightest points classification winner was Joaquim Rodríguez. He won the 2012 Giro points classification, weighing just 57 kg .

A points classification winner has an average BMI of 22.3 .

A points classification winner with the highest BMI was Walter Godefroot. He won the 1970 Tour de France points classification with a BMI of 24.94 (1.71 m, 73 kg).

A points classification winner with the lowest BMI was Chris Froome. He won the 2017 Vuelta points classification with a BMI of 19.08 (1.86 m, 66 kg).

Overall Victories & Stage Wins

Eddy Merckx is the rider with the most Grand Tour GC wins (11). He won TdF and Giro 5 times, as well as Vuelta once.

The following table shows the three riders with the most stage wins for a given Grand Tour.

Consider these Incredible Bicycle Statistics to discover more about the sport we all love so much.

We have a song in the Czech Republic that goes like this:

“Statistics are boring, but it has valuable information…”

I have never enjoyed statistics, but spending dozens of hours putting this comparison together was fun. I was surprised to see some Grand Tour data visualized. The riders’ height, weight, and BMI data points are pretty interesting. What do you think about these cycling Grand Tours statistics?

I hope you like this comparison. If so, don’t forget to share it with your friends.

You can also check out my other articles dedicated to individual Grand Tours that go into more detail:

• Tour de France Statistics
• Giro d’Italia Statistics
• Vuelta a España Statistics

Cycling Grand Tours FAQ

Yes, several riders won all three Grand Tours at least once (TdF Wins, Giro Wins, Vuelta Wins): Eddy Merckx (5, 5, 1) Bernard Hinault (5, 3, 2) Jacques Anquetil (5, 2, 1) Chris Froome (4, 1, 2) Alberto Contador (2, 2, 3) Felice Gimondi (1, 3, 1) Vincenzo Nibali (1, 2, 1) No rider has won all three Grand Tours in the same calendar year.

The Giro d’Italia proves to be challenging, mainly due to the demanding Alp and Appennine climbs, as well as frequent inclement weather. The Tour de France stands out as the premier cycling event worldwide, drawing significant attention and placing considerable mental strain on riders. Nevertheless, there’s a consensus among some that the Vuelta a España is the toughest because it serves as the final Grand Tour of the season, with riders already exhausted. I’ll let you decide, but it’s evident that no Grand Tour can be considered easy.

Depending on how you define “the greatest.” However, the rider with the most GT wins is Eddy Merckx. He won 11 GT (5 times Tour de France, 5 times Giro d’Italia, and once Vuelta a España).

wikipedia.org procyclingstats.com letour.fr giroditalia.it lavuelta.es

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About The Author

Petr Minarik

4 thoughts on “tour, giro, and vuelta: cycling grand tours statistics compared (2023)”.

Great work! Can you add a cumulative vertical meters comparison to each GT? And create a weighted index according to Cumulative distance – Cumulative ascent – Average speed.

Thanks a lot. – Eran

Hi Eran, I thought about doing something like you describe. Unfortunately, total vertical meters are unavailable for many editions. Therefore, I decided not to include it. But you are right, that would be interesting!

You’re the guy to do it, you’re Great! I’d like to see day by day where riders have gained or lost time to the current GC leader. Does that make sense? I think it would be interesting as hell! Thanks for doing such a great job at what you do!!!

Hi Dan, Thank you for your trust and appreciation. I am afraid this is beyond my time capacity. However, this would be interesting data. 🙂 – Petr

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Your Guide to the Cycling Grand Tours

January 10, 2024 5 min read

The Grand Tours are known for their infamously hard climbs, breathtaking battles to the top and impressive feats of athleticism. We’re taking a look at the 3 cycling Grand Tours which dominate our cycling calendars over the summer. 

Table of Contents:

What are the 3 Cycling Grand Tours?

• Tour de France

Giro D’Italia

• Vuelta a España
• Ride the Grand Tour Stages Virtually with Wattbike

The cycling Grand Tours are the three major European cycling races which take place between May and September each year. All three Grand Tours are three-week races with daily stages for professional cyclists to tackle. The three tours are famous for their gruelling climbs, tests of endurance, and feats of power. 

The three Grand Tours are the: 

Tour de France 

The Tour de France is one of the Grand Tours which is held primarily in France, and takes place during July, annually.

The  Tour de France   was first held in 1903, making it the oldest of the 3 cycling Grand Tours. The race consists of 21 stages, each a day long, and the route of these stages primarily takes place in France. Around 20 teams take place with a number of riders each, and each rider is timed on each day. 

Whilst this cycling Grand Tour is a men-only race, there have been many versions of the race for women over the years. The ' Tour de France Femmes '  was held for the first time in 2022, allowing female riders to compete in their own version of the iconic race. 

Standout Stages

Iconic climbs of the Tour de France   include the infamous Alpe d’Huez climb. With its seemingly endless hairpin bends in an upwards gruelling challenge, this stage is usually vital in determining the winner of the cycling Grand Tour. 

The rider with the lowest accumulative time during  the Tour   is the current leader and wears the famous yellow jersey. 

• There are 4 riders who have won this cycling Grand Tour the most times. Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain have each taken the title 5 times. 
• In 2012, Bradley Wiggins became the first Brit to win this prestigious cycling Grand Tour. 
• Kenyan-British cyclist Chris Froome has won the Tour four times (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017).
• Welsh Geraint Thomas won the Tour in 2018. 

The Giro D’Italia Grand Tour takes place in Italy primarily, and is usually held in May or early June. 

The  Giro D’Italia   was first held in 1909 and welcomes cyclists from all over the world. This cycling Grand Tour primarily takes place in Italy, although the route often dips in and out of its neighbouring countries. As with the other cycling Grand Tours, the Giro consists of 21 stages with each stage taking place over a number of days. 

There are a number of types of stages that are used in the Giro: the mass-start stages,  individual time trials ,  and team time trials. As with the Tour de France, there are  iconic climbs of the Giro D’Italia   which push the cyclists to their limits, including those through the Alps and Dolomites. 

• 3 riders have the most Giro wins: Eddy Merckx, Alfredo Binda, Fausto Coppi each have 5 Giro wins to their names.  
• British-Kenyan rider Chris Froome won in 2018 riding for Team Sky. 
• Tao Geoghegan Hart won in 2020, riding for the INEOS Grenadiers. 

As with the Tour de France the cyclist with the shortest aggregate time is the leader, and begins the following stage wearing a pink jersey (or la maglia rosa). Within  the Giro ,  there are other competitions taking place - with the ability to win the mountain, points, young rider, or team classifications. 

Vuelta a España 

The Vuelta a España is the Grand Tour held primarily in Spain, which usually takes place over August and September annually. 

La Vuelta a España   was first held in 1935. The Vuelta primarily takes place in Spain, but as with the other cycling Grand Tours, often visits other European countries. The Vuelta welcomes riders from all over the world to compete in two time trials, passage through the mountain chain of the Pyrenees, and cross the finish line in Madrid. 

There are multiple mountain stages for each year of the  Spanish Grand Tour ,  which in the past have included:

• Lagos de Covadonga
• Les Praeres de Nava
• La Cobertoria
• Puerto de San Lorenzo

As with the other cycling Grand Tours, the rider with the lowest time at each stage of the ride will be the leader, donned in the red jersey. Whilst there are also winners of different classifications, which each wear different jerseys: points, mountains, combination, and team classifications. 

• Roberto Heras holds the record of most Vuelta victories, with four. 
• Alberto Contador, Tony Rominger and Primož Roglič have each won three times.
• British-Kenyan Chris Froome won the general classification in 2011 after Juan José Cobo was found guilty of doping by the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale). Froome also won in 2017, taking the points and combination classification in the same year. 
• In 2018, British cyclist Simon Yates won the Vuelta, also taking the combination classification in the same year. 

Ride the Grand Tour Stages Virtually with Wattbike 

Indoor cycling   is a great way to prepare for the Grand Tours. You can train for the different stages using your  indoor bike trainer .

• Training for the Tour de France with Wattbike   means tackling the climbing workouts in our Wattbike Hub cycling app. Complete climbing, sprinting, or endurance workouts on the  Wattbike Hub cycling app   to see your performance improve. You can even recreate the famous Alpe D’Huez climb without leaving the house!
• Complete the Tour de France stages with Alex Dowsett   to get a proper taste of the tour. This tempting tasting menu will get the job done in eight stages, each under 45 minutes, charting the heady heights and peak pressure moments that make for a complete Tour de France experience.
• You can  ride the Giro D’Italia on your indoor bike   to see how you measure up against the professionals. Complete your training and prepare to be put to the test. 
• Ride the Vuelta a España on your indoor trainer   and see how you fare against the gruelling climbs of the iconic Spanish cycling Grand Tour. 

Whether you’re  training for cycling sportives   or just a fan of the thrilling races, you can follow along from home and see what it takes to compete. 

Virtual Racing with Zwift 

Connect to the  Zwift cycling app   and pedal yourself through virtual races from the cycling Grand Tours. You can even compete with friends along the iconic routes with  visually spectacular recreations of real-world locations. 

Not only that, but the app offers the chance to enter the Zwift Racing League, which involves teams competing in virtual events on smart bikes or  turbo trainers . 

Wattbike: More than Exercise

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Ranked: The best Grand Tours of the 21st century

We count down the best that this century has seen so far...

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If the Grand Tour hadn't existed in 2000, would someone have invented it?

The cost, the complexity of running it, the sheer size of the event all for what are often fleeting moments of high drama would make it likely they would not have.

The Grand Tour format is in many ways a throwback to another time when a day's worth of racing would only serve to be packaged down into several pages of newsprint, not shown live all day long. "Do the kids of today have the attention span for a three-week race?" the sport's commissioners would have asked.

As a fan, you have to invest in a Grand Tour. While there are always intriguing and entertaining plot lines in the opening days, the main event frequently doesn't crackle into life until the end of the first week at best - despite race organisers' attempts to force the issue higher up the peloton's agenda. In that respect, though, it parallels a more recent phenomenon - the DVD series boxset.

A good Grand Tour is binge-worthy sport delivered on a daily release schedule. The best ones are The Wire ; should Contador have waited for Schleck when he dropped his chain is a question up there with whether McNulty would have ever caught Stringer Bell.

>>> Subscriptions deals for  Cycling Weekly  magazine

The worst, well we simply don't think about them, they're dull and procedural and all the characters do exactly what you expect them to. But we tune in next time because we know that it's good when riders are going toe-to-toe, and when they're doing things we couldn't possibly imagine it's transcendent. Something like that would always be worth inventing.

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5. 2018 Giro d'Italia

British riders have won 10 Grand Tours this century, and this was surely the pick of them. Simon Yates dominated the first three-quarters of it, taking the lead when he and Mitchelton team-mate Esteban Chaves finished ahead of the other favourites on Mount Etna. Winner of three stages over the following 10 days, Yates gradually extended his lead to more than two minutes and still held half of that advantage after the stage 16 Rovereto TT.

Two days later, though, the first cracks in the Lancastrian's armour appeared at Preto Nevoso. The next day, Yates and the rest of the field were swept away by a daring 80km attack by Chris Froome that started on the gravel slopes of the Finestre. The all-or-nothing escapade gave him a full set of Grand Tour titles.

Final general classification

1. Chris Froome (GBr) Sky, in 89-02-39

2. Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Sunweb, at 46 seconds

3. Miguel Ángel López (Col) Astana, at 4-57

4. 2005 Giro d'Italia

Another race that adds weight to the theory that Grand Tours are often more exciting when the big names struggle or are absent. This one was supposed to be a walk in the park for Ivan Basso, and when the Italian took the lead at the summit finish of Zoldo Alto on stage 11, becoming the eighth holder of the maglia rosa in the process, it looked like the GC had been locked up for good.

Basso, however, was hit by stomach trouble two days later at Ortisei, where Paolo Savoldelli inherited the pink jersey. Harassed by Danilo Di Luca, José Rujano and, above all, Gilberto Simoni, Savoldelli held on until the finish.

Nicknamed 'the Falcon' for his almost incomparable skill on descents, Savoldelli drew hugely on that ability to save the Giro title on the penultimate stage over the Finestre, dropping like a stone to wipe out the race-winning advantage Simoni had opened.

1. Paolo Savoldelli (Ita) Discovery Channel, in 91-25-51

2. Gilberto Simoni (Ita) Lampre-Caffita, at 28 seconds

3. José Rujano (Ven) Colombia-Selle Italia, at 45s

3. 2015 Vuelta a España

Another topsy-turvy affair, with Tom Dumoulin at the heart of the action that highlighted the tendency for the Vuelta to produce unpredictable contests at a point in the season when riders’ physical resources are running low. It featured the top-four finishers from the Tour de France five weeks earlier – Chris Froome, Nairo Quintana, Alejandro Valverde and Vincenzo Nibali – but this illustrious quartet all ended as bit-part players in a contest that revealed several new Grand Tour contenders, notably Dumoulin, Esteban Chaves and Fabio Aru.

Like all of the best three-week races, it also featured plenty of other intriguing and controversial back stories to keep interest bubbling, beginning on the first day when the short team time trial into Marbella had to be neutralised because the polished marble coastal path was covered in sand. On stage two, it was Nibali’s turn to appear in the spotlight for the wrong reasons. Delayed in a crash, he was caught on camera holding on to his team car’s door and being ferried at high speed back up to the bunch. That evening, the Italian was kicked off the race.

Chaves’s stage win that same day gave him the red jersey. He lost it to Dumoulin three days later when the bunch split coming into the finish, then regained it on the following stage thanks to a second hill-top finish success. The Dutchman snatched it back again three days later with a summit win of his own at the Cumbre del Sol, where Froome was a close second. Yet, just as the Briton’s form appeared to be peaking, he was forced out of the race after breaking his foot when he crashed into a kerb during a devilish six-climb tour of Andorra devised by local resident Joaquim Rodríguez. Here, Astana scooped the jackpot, Mikel Landa and Aru finishing first and second, the latter moving into the leader’s jersey.

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The see-saw contest continued across the Cantabrian mountains and into Asturias, where Dumoulin steadily ceded ground as Rodríguez emerged as Aru’s closest rival, moving within a second of the Italian thanks to a stage win at Sotres Cabrales on the third weekend, the Spaniard then moving a second ahead the next day. Would the Spanish veteran finally win a Grand Tour? Could he overcome his weakness in time trials? The long solo test delivered a resounding verdict – no! Dumoulin smashed it, Aru coped with it, leaving the Dutchman three seconds ahead. He doubled that advantage racing into Avila, two days from home.

Sadly for the Dutchman, there was one final twist, Aru and Astana shredding Giant-Alpecin’s defences around Dumoulin on the penultimate day on the heights to the north of Madrid. Isolated and attacked on all sides, he finally yielded, Aru riding away to claim his first Grand Tour success, a breathless contest finally decided.

1. Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana, in 85-36-13

2. Joaquim Rodríguez (Spa) Katusha, at 57 seconds

3. Rafał Majka (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo, at 1-09

Points: Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Movistar

Mountains: Omar Fraile (Esp) Caja Rural

Teams: Movistar

2. 2017 Giro d'Italia

Having flirted with victory at the Vuelta a España in 2015, before faltering at the last and losing the title to Fabio Aru, Tom Dumoulin took his first Grand Tour win with a gritty and hugely courageous performance, coming through from fourth place to first in the Milan time trial on the final day to beat former winner Nairo Quintana and defending champion Vincenzo Nibali. Along with Thibaut Pinot, this quartet spent the second two weeks of the race constantly searching to deliver a knock-out blow to their rivals, the momentum swinging wildly between them, the spectacle entirely befitting the Giro’s 100th edition.

The race provided a perfect contrast of radically different racing styles, most obviously on the climbs. Strapping Dutchman Dumoulin was the archetypal rouleur grimpeur, trying to maintain a steady rhythm on the climbs, happy to lose ground to punchier rivals then steadily claw it back. At the other end of the scale was flyweight Colombian Quintana, far more spring-heeled, constantly darting away from his rivals, probing for a weakness, full of verve. Nibali and Pinot, meanwhile, were somewhere in between, both full of vim and tactically very smart.

The race began in Sardinia, where points winner Fernando Gaviria claimed the first of four stage wins (on stage three), but was supposed to come to life after a rest day transfer to Nibali’s Sicilian homeland. However, a strong headwind on the Mount Etna summit finish kept a lid on the action. The GC contest finally erupted on stage nine to the fearsome Blockhaus summit finish in the Abruzzo. It began with controversy as the group of main contenders had to swerve around a policeman’s bike. Wilco Kelderman clipped it, the subsequent domino effect leaving Sky’s Geraint Thomas and Mikel Landa on the deck, along with Orica’s Adam Yates, shattering the maglia rosa hopes of all three.

After Movistar had thinned out the lead group, dispatching race leader Bob Jungels in the process, Quintana fizzed into action. Initially countered by Nibali and Pinot, the Colombian went again, destined for the stage win and the pink jersey. It was Dumoulin, though, who emerged as best of the rest, judging his effort perfectly in order to limit his losses, Pinot clinging on to his wheel. Twenty-four hours later, the Dutchman struck back hard on his favoured terrain, demolishing the whole field in the Montefalco TT to take the lead with two and a half minutes on his rivals.

Impressive on the Blockhaus, Dumoulin was sensational at Santuario di Oropa. Apparently struggling when Quintana went on the rampage once more, the Dutchman worked his way back up to his rivals and then powered past them to win the stage and push his lead out a little further. The battle continued to rage the next day into Bergamo, where Jungels led in a very select dozen. Then came the biggest stage of the race, over the Mortirolo, Stelvio and Umbrail Pass into Bormio. It was always likely to be special, but we had absolutely no idea…

The peloton had been well shredded approaching the third of these mighty ascents, Dumoulin apparently well in control, until he braked to a sudden halt, flung off his kit and dropped into the ditch to relieve an urgent need.

For a while his rivals eased off, but when one attacked, the rest piled in. Out on his own, Dumoulin rode all out to protect the lead he’d built up. After Nibali’s descending skills, including bunny hopping obstacles, helped him to the stage win, Italy’s first of this 100th edition, Dumoulin came in more than two minutes down, his cushion now just 31 seconds.

Three major mountain stages remained, and each delivered an enthralling spectacle, fortunes yo-yoing this way and that, the favourites often so isolated from their team-mates that rivals would become allies for a few kilometres, then they’d be going at each other tooth and nail again. This was racing with the gloves well and truly off.

When Quintana swept the maglia rosa at Piancavallo two days from Milan, Dumoulin looked finished. But on the penultimate day over Monte Grappa to Asiago, he judged his effort and gave all he had to stay in the overall contest. On the final day, he unleashed everything he did have left and it was just enough.

1. Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Sunweb, in 90-34-54

2. Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar, at 31 seconds

3. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Bahrain-Merida, at 40s

Points: Fernando Gaviria (Col) Quick Step

Mountains: Mikel Landa (Esp) Sky

Best young rider: Bob Jungels (Lux) Quick-Step

1. 2011 Tour de France

Often the best Grand Tours occur in between moments of dominance by a pre-eminent rider. Think of the 1987 Tour de France, when defending champion Greg LeMond was sidelined and the lead changed hands nine times, Stephen Roche ultimately claiming the yellow jersey on the penultimate day. Or of the 1956 race, which fell in between the last of Louison Bobet’s three consecutive wins and the first of Jacques Anquetil’s five victories, the lead changing hands eight times before the unheralded Roger Walkowiak took the title. In both of these cases, these riders emerged triumphant thanks as much to their astute tactical thinking as to their talent and endurance.

Among the five dozen races in the current century, the 2011 Tour went closer than any other to being a ‘Tour à la Walko’, of being a race where an outsider showed the nous and guts to upset the big guns and almost pull off the most unlikely of victories. The fact that this dark horse, Thomas Voeckler, was French also made this race stand out. What’s more, like the 1956 and 1987 Tours, the racing was often outstanding and unpredictable, with talking points aplenty. The context for the race increased the likelihood of it deviating from the standard script for Grand Tours. 2010 Tour winner Alberto Contador was under a cloud, awaiting the result of an appeal having tested positive in taking that title.

While he was waiting for the Court of Arbitration for Sport to reach its verdict, the Spaniard had raced and won the Giro d’Italia, a challenge that had sapped his resources. This edition was also the last before Sky imposed its authority on the Tour.

The 2011 Tour route highlighted race director Christian Prudhomme’s desire to bring the overall contenders out of the shadows as often as possible. The short but steep finish at Mont des Alouettes on the opening stage saw Philippe Gilbert blast away from the pack to take victory, with Cadel Evans, one of the favourites for the title, the Belgian’s closest challenger, although the impressiveness of the Australian’s performance was largely overlooked by the first significant incident, a late crash costing Contador more than a minute. Three days later, though, Evans took all of the headlines as he out-thought and out-raced Contador at Mûr-de-Bretagne to win the stage.

As Garmin-Cervélo’s Thor Hushovd defended a one-second lead over Evans, attention switched to the sprinters. Mark Cavendish won at Cap Fréhel, the next day Edvald Boasson Hagen gave Sky their first Tour stage win at Lisieux. Cavendish won again at Châteauroux, where Sky’s very promising first week came apart. A high-speed crash in the bunch with 40km remaining, left a number of riders on the deck, sixth-placed Bradley Wiggins among them. A broken collarbone ended his race before the first week was over.

This Tour’s elevation from good to gripping began on stage nine to Saint-Flour, where Hushovd’s seven-day spell in yellow ended. The route took the riders through the heart of the Massif Central, crossing eight categorised climbs. Descending off the second of them, the Pas de Peyrol, another big crash in the bunch saw two more favourites abandon, Alexandre Vinokourov and Jurgen Van den Broeck. As the peloton eased up, the five riders in the break up ahead – Voeckler, Johnny Hoogerland, Luis León Sánchez, Juan Antonio Flecha and Sandy Casar – pushed their advantage out to almost eight minutes, presenting Voeckler with the chance of the yellow jersey.

In a day packed with incident, the most striking of all occurred when a France Télévisions car attempted to overtake the break, skidded in the grass verge and swerved towards the riders, clipping Flecha, who collided with Hoogerland, the Dutchman and his bike cartwheeling off the road and into a barbed wire fence. Although both riders were able to continue, Hoogerland’s multiple lacerations later required 33 stitches. At the finish, Sánchez breezed to the stage win, Voeckler took the lead, his advantage 2-26 on Evans, with the Schleck brothers just seconds behind the Australian.

After a third win for Cavendish, the race reached the Pyrenees. Just as he had in 2004 when he’d led the race for 10 days, Voeckler began to draw on the magical force of the yellow jersey. At Luz Ardiden, he lost 30 seconds to Evans and 40 to Fränk Schleck, who moved into second. Crossing the Aubisque on the subsequent stage into Lourdes, he lost nothing. Much more remarkably, on a six-climb stage through the Pyrénées Ariégeoises to Plateau de Beille, he was as strong as his rivals. Urged on by French fans, feeding off their enthusiasm, Voeckler began to make the almost impossible look slightly feasible.

Another win for Cavendish in his pomp was followed by a wet stage into Gap, where Voeckler’s daring on the sodden descent off the Col de Manse saw him gain time on the Schlecks. It presaged four days of the kind of wonderful racing that is rarely seen in the second half of any Grand Tour’s third week. On the first, to Pinerolo in Italy, Voeckler, pressing too hard, went off the road twice on the final descent, 27 seconds of his lead chipped away.

Then came the stage to the Galibier, the Tour’s highest-ever summit finish. Overnight, the Schlecks and their Leopard-Trek team-mates cooked up a daring plan, then set about enacting it. It began with Joost Posthuma and Maxime Monfort finding their way into the break on the long climb back into France via the Col Agnel. Approaching the highest sections of the second climb, the Col d’Izoard, Schleck junior took off on his own and bridged across to them. Although Posthuma soon fell back as they started towards the Col du Lautaret, Monfort lasted longer, before Andy Schleck pressed on solo. With Eddy Merckx an enthralled spectator in Prudhomme’s lead car, his ride was like something from another era, when long-range attacks that overturned the standings were not uncommon.

Andy Schleck’s lead over his rivals was four and a half minutes with 10km to go. At this point, sensing his Tour hopes were fast disappearing, the diesel-like Evans engaged his turbo. With barely any help from the other contenders, the Australian powered after Andy Schleck in what became the most extraordinary of pursuit matches. Evans’s barnstorming chase meant that Voeckler, who’d doggedly stuck to the Australian’s wheel, kept his lead by 15 seconds over Andy Schleck.

If that was sensational, the next day to Alpe d’Huez was almost as good. It was just 109.5km long, and Contador attacked almost as soon as the first climb, the Col du Télégraphe, began, Andy Schleck, Voeckler and Evans chasing after him. The Australian soon dropped back to find his team-mates. However, as Contador and Andy Schleck accelerated again, Voeckler found himself in no-man’s land. Rather than following the Australian’s example, he persisted with his chase, his long hold on yellow leading him to overestimate his own ability.

This uncharacteristic tactical misjudgement not only cost him the lead, but a place on the podium, as Andy Schleck moved into yellow, 53 seconds up on brother Fränk and 57 ahead of Evans. It didn’t look enough of an advantage to fend off the Australian in the undulating time trial at Grenoble on the penultimate day, and it wasn’t. Evans was two and a half minutes quicker and took the lead for the first and the most critical time. As Cavendish clinched a fifth stage win and the points title in Paris, Evans received the ultimate prize for his persistence, a very worthy winner of a wonderful race.

1. Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC, in 86-12-22

2. Andy Schleck (Lux) Leopard Trek, at 1-34

3. Frank Schleck (Lux) Leopard Trek, at 2-30

Points: Mark Cavendish (GBr) HTC-Highroad

Mountains: Samuel Sánchez (Esp) Euskaltel

Team: Garmin-Cervélo

Best young rider: Pierre Rolland (Fra) Europcar

The full version of this featured ranked all 60 Grand Tours of the century so far and originally appeared in the print edition of Cycling Weekly. Subscribe now to never miss an issue or find it on sale in newsagents and supermarkets, priced £3.25.

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Peter Cossins has been writing about professional cycling since 1993, with his reporting appearing in numerous publications and websites including Cycling Weekly ,  Cycle Sport  and  Procycling - which he edited from 2006 to 2009. Peter is the author of several books on cycling - The Monuments , his history of cycling's five greatest one-day Classic races, was published in 2014, followed in 2015 by  Alpe d’Huez , an appraisal of cycling’s greatest climb. Yellow Jersey - his celebration of the iconic Tour de France winner's jersey won the 2020 Telegraph Sports Book Awards Cycling Book of the Year Award.

Jayco AlUla's Irishman has endured a difficult year but is now higher than he ever has been in the sport

By Adam Becket Published 28 August 24

The full general classification, along with the latest stage result, and the standings for the other jerseys

By Cycling Weekly Published 28 August 24

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Everything you need to know about the Grand Tours of road cycling

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The Tour de France is one of the world’s most famous sporting events. But did you know it is just one of three road cycling Grand Tours?

The Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España  are the other road cycling Grand Tours, each one comprised of 21 stages. The Grand Tours each cover more than 3000 kilometres during three weeks of racing with little rest for the riders.

Keep reading to learn more about the Grand Tours of road cycling.

When and where do the Grand Tours take place?

The Giro d’Italia is the first Grand Tour on the annual calendar. It takes place throughout Italy each May.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Giro d'Italia (@giroditalia)

The Tour de France comes next, taking place throughout France each July.  

The Vuelta a España is the final Grand Tour of the year, held each August/September in Spain.

The routes for all three cycling Grand Tours change each year. Every so often, race organizers will choose to have a Grand Tour start outside the primary host country. This happened recently for the Grand Départ of the Tour de France in 2022 and 2023, which began in Denmark (Copenhagen) and Spain (Basque Country), respectively. The 2022 Giro d’Italia had its Grande Partenza in Hungary. The first three stages of the 2022 Vuelta a España were in the Netherlands.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tour de France™ (@letourdefrance)

Since 1975, the Tour de France has always finished on the Champs-Élysées, providing classic images of cyclists going around the Arc de Triomphe, the winner sometimes with a glass of champagne in hand. The Vuelta a España traditionally concludes in Madrid. The Giro d’Italia has moved around its final stage, holding it in cities such as Rome, Verona, and Milan.

How old are the road cycling Grand Tours?

The Tour de France is the oldest of the Grand Tours. First held in 1903, it has been an annual highlight of the summer, except during World War I (1915-18) and World War II (1940-46).

The Giro d’Italia has been held annually since 1909, with similar exceptions because of the First and Second World Wars.

The Vuelta a España was first organized in 1935 but endured many disruptions during its first two decades because of wars and a difficult economic situation. For many years, it didn’t have the same level of prestige as the two older tours and didn’t attract a lot of top international cyclists. But that changed in the mid-1990s when it was moved from the spring to late summer, no longer putting it in near-conflict with the Giro d’Italia.

What is a stage race?

Road cycling races can be classified as a one-day race or a stage race. A one-day race is exactly what the name says. A stage race takes place over multiple days and can include various forms of racing. In a 21-stage Grand Tour, there are usually only a couple of recovery days interspersed, so fitness is key.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by La Vuelta (@lavuelta)

Some stages might be held in a time trial format, with riders leaving the start in intervals and racing directly against the clock. Most stages will be of a mass start format, in which the first rider across the finish line wins that stage.

But stage wins are not what matters most. The winner of a stage race is the rider who has the fastest overall time at the end of all stages. Some stages will cover flat terrain well suited to sprinters. Some stages will be hilly while some will include big mountains best suited to strong climbers. You can be sure that whoever wins a stage race is strong in all aspects of road cycling.

What do the different coloured jerseys mean?

It’s pretty well known that the most coveted prize in the Tour de France is the yellow jersey, or maillot jaune . That is given to the leader in the general classification – the rider with the fastest overall time.

The leader of the Giro d’Italia general classification wears a pink jersey, or maglia rosa . It is pink because Italian sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, which created the race, is printed on pink paper. 

At the Vuelta a España, the leader of the general classification wears a red jersey, or maillot rojo .

But there are several other classifications for which the leaders in each race are given special jerseys in various colours and patterns.

The points classification is based on riders winning sprints. More points are available when a stage is conducive to a sprint finish. There is also usually an intermediate sprint during each stage for which points are awarded.

• Giro d’Italia: purple
• Tour de France: green
• Vuelta a España: green

The king of the mountain classification is almost self-explanatory. Points are awarded to the best riders on specific climbs in each stage.

• Giro d’Italia: blue
• Tour de France: red polka dots
• Vuelta a España: blue dots 

The best young rider classification is restricted to cyclists who are under the age of 26.

• Giro d’Italia: white
• Tour de France: white
• Vuelta a España: white

Do women race in Grand Tours?

Sort of is the complicated answer. It is only in recent years that the organizers of the Grand Tours have begun staging women’s races. But they are not yet of the same scale as the men’s races.

The Giro d’Italia Donne is the longest running women’s stage race. Formally known as the Giro Rosa, it was first held in 1988. The 34 th edition in 2023 will feature 10 stages in early July. Canadian Olympian Leah Kirchmann wore the maglia rosa during the 2016 and 2018 editions of the Giro Rosa.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Leah Kirchmann (@leahkirchmann)

After an initial attempt in 1955 to hold an equivalent women’s race, the Tour de France Féminin took place from 1984 to 1989. Over the next two decades, there were different women’s stage races in France, but without a direct link to the Tour de France. From 2014 to 2020, La Course by Le Tour de France was primarily a one-day race. In 2022, Tour de France Femmes was launched as an eight-stage race. The 2023 edition will begin on the same day the men’s Tour de France concludes in late July.

La Vuelta Femenina was created in 2015 and has since expanded from a one-day race. Held in early May, the 2023 edition featured seven stages.  

Has a Canadian cyclist ever won a Grand Tour?

In 2012, Ryder Hesjedal became the first Canadian to win the general classification of a Grand Tour. He claimed the maglia rosa at the Giro d’Italia by coming from behind in the final stage. It was just the second time in the history of the race that there was a lead change on the last day.  

Prior to that, the best a Canadian had ever finished in the general classification of a Grand Tour was a fourth-place finish by Steve Bauer at the 1988 Tour de France. Bauer had made history on the opening day of that race when he became the first Canadian to win a stage of the Tour de France.

More than three decades later, Hugo Houle became the second Canadian to win a Tour stage. It was an emotionally charged day, as he dedicated his Stage 16 victory to the memory of his younger brother Pierrik who had been killed by a drunk driver 10 years earlier.

Hesjedal was the first Canadian to win a stage of the Vuelta a España, achieving that in 2009 and 2014. Mike Woods earned stage wins at the Vuelta in 2018 and 2020.

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The Tour de France is Grand. But Is the Giro Tougher?

As Tadej Pogačar considers tackling the Giro, cycling legends and experts explain the distinct hurdles and surprises that make the Italian Grand Tour a unique and thrilling race.

It’s not debatable that Tadej Pogačar is the best all-around cyclist in the pro peloton. The 25-year-old Slovenian’s ability to win one-day classics and three-week Grand Tours justifiably compares with Eddy Merckx, the greatest racer of all time. However, Pogačar has never ridden the Giro d’Italia —the first Grand Tour of the season preluding the Tour de France. But he is thinking about it.

Each of the three Grand Tours has its own flavor and unique challenges. The highly anticipated and widely followed Tour de France follows a tried-and-true formula of an opening week of relatively flat stages, a brief stint in the mountains, more flat transition stages, another brief stint in the mountains, and then a short run into Paris.

But the Giro d’Italia offers a thrilling blend of diverse terrain, technical challenges, and mano-a-mano racing, creating a more dynamic experience for riders. With reduced pressure from teams and media, the Italian Grand Tour stands out as a race where athletes can test their limits while savoring the joys of Italian cuisine and scenery.

Lots of climbing

“The Giro is much more surprising because it doesn’t follow a general formula,” explains Andy Hampsten , the first and only U.S. American to win Italy’s grand tour. “There can be mountains in almost any region of Italy. What surprised me the first Giro I ever did, and I kept an eye peeled for it later, were just incredibly hilly days, usually in central Italy in the Marche or Umbria or even further south in Campania or Calabria.”

Easy stages in the Giro where racers can rest and relax can be hard to find. “A stage without categorized mountains can still be up and down every kilometer of the race,” adds Hampsten. “Those days that usually aren’t highly rated might finish in a reasonably leveled area, and a sprint finish will be the prediction. But they could have 2,000 meters of climbing throughout the day, which could really shatter the field.”

Chaotic finishes

After all the ups and downs, the difficulties aren’t over when a stage reaches the finishing town. The towns that pay to host the finish don’t want to waste their investment. “They want to highlight the best parts of the towns, usually through some gates that emperors in the Roman Empire built. That might be in the final kilometer, and it might get down to a lane and a half or two lanes,” notes Hampsten, who lives and runs Cinghiale Cycling Tours out of his home base in Tuscany.

“When I did the Giro in 2009, you would be close to the finish because you were entering the town, but they would find ways to send you around the neighborhood and through the shopping district just to make it total chaos before the finish,” remembers former NBC Tour de France analyst and grand tour winner Chris Horner. “It was technical. You could crash in the middle of it. I was scared for my life on a few of those finishes.”

“In the Tour, you will come into the finishes on much bigger, wider roads. There are still crashes at the Tour, but there are other reasons for that. [The Giro is] a little scarier in terms of the towns, but the Tour is scarier in terms of the fight for position. Every team has their A team riders, so the level of the peloton is super fast and curb to curb the whole time,” adds Horner.

A grand tour for the neo-pros

Italian cycling fans, known as ‘tifosi’, go wild for the Giro, but the Tour de France is more popular worldwide. Results at the Grand Boucle can make or break a team’s sponsorship, which goes a long way in explaining the composition of the teams for each race. “Normally, what happens when the riders show up at the Giro is that they are bringing A guys mixed with B guys and C guys,” notes Horner. “Typically, when you go to the Tour de France, it is your whole A team.”

“The Giro and the Vuelta [a España] are where you will bring in your neo-pro guys or your one- or two-year guys who haven’t done their first grand tour,” explains Horner. “Even Visma-Lease a Bike has to bring in a neo-pro sooner or later!”

But not having a team composed of all your best riders has some interesting side effects. Horner notes that at the Giro and Vuelta, you see much more ‘mano a mano’ racing in the stage finales, whereas on the tour, the teams are so stacked that it is common for the top teams to have five or six guys on the front on the last climb.

Lower stakes

Another side effect of the difference in popularity between the Giro and the Tour is the pressure on the racers. “It is so much easier for a foreigner or a racer on a foreign team to do your seven or eight hours of race and podium, and interviews then get to the hotel and relax in a delightful country without the towns being completely overrun like it would be at the Tour de France,” recalls Hampsten. “At the Tour, it is hard to get away from the pressure for the racers. I would say they recuperate better at the Tour of Italy than the Tour de France.”

“He’s [Tadej Pogačar] going to realize that it is not as stressful and the press is a little bit easier. He is going to realize that the Giro is fun compared to the Tour,” agrees Horner. “When he gets off the bike, I mean, he is Pogačar, so he is going to be swarmed a little bit, but it’s not going to be the all-demanding every member of the world press in your face.”

Unpredictable weather and great food

The weather in the Giro can be horrendous. Hampsten won his Giro after attacking the peloton and surviving an epic blizzard on the Gavia Pass on the stage, known as ‘The Day Strong Men Cried.’ “It’s rare to have terrible weather in the Tour in July. Certainly, in any hilly area [in Italy], it could be snowy or cold rain, which is just about as bad as snow,” explains Hampsten. “People are demoralized. Any wet day. It’s more nerve-wracking because there are more crashes with the bad traction.”

Hampsten, the first American to win the Tour stage to l’Alpe d’Huez, is a true gourmand. “And don’t even get me started on the food. It is much nicer for all racers to have good food in Italy than in France. The Italians are just so proud of their food. It makes so much difference for any racer’s morale to have wonderful, healthy, easy-to-digest food that’s tasty. It is a delight for the racers.”

Whether it’s the Giro or the Tour, the riders will give 100 percent, and the racing will be exciting. But the Giro has its own unique qualities and challenges, and it seems to always provide a worthy winner; this year’s might be Tadej Pogačar . So don’t wait until July to be excited about bike racing.

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6 Things You May Not Know About The Grand Tours

Published: June 2020

The Grand Tours in cycling are the three major professional cycling stage races: the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España. Together they are known as the ‘Grand Tours’. All the Grand Tours follow the same format: a three-week bike race with daily stages covering a variety of terrain - flat, rolling and mountainous - and a couple of rest days thrown in for good measure.

The Grand Tours are the truest test for the best all-round riders in the pro peloton. The rider finishing with the fastest cumulative time across all the stages wins the overall title, also known as the ‘general classification,’ and wins the relevant race winner’s jersey - yellow for the Tour de France, pink for the Giro d’Italia and red for the Vuelta a España. As well as the overall title (the most prestigious) there are also classifications for the best team, the best young rider, the best climber and the rider who wins the most points across all the stages.

We’ve all got our own memories of the yellow jersey or maglia rosa but how well do you really know cycling’s biggest races? Here are 6 things you might now know about the Grand Tours.

Grand Tour wins vs nationality

As you would expect, the three nations hosting the Grand Tours are pretty dominant when it comes to wins at the major races in the cycling calendar, with Italy topping the tally with 85 wins across all 3 Grand Tours, followed by France and Spain.

The last Italian to win a Grand Tour is the ‘Shark of Messina’, Vincenzo Nibali, who last won the Giro d'Italia in 2016. In recent years we have seen the total dominance of Team Sky (now Team INEOS) on the top step of the podium with British riders Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome, and Geraint Thomas. But with the emergence of a highly talented crop of young riders, including the likes of 2020 winner Tadej Pogacar, the Belgium Remco Evenepoel and the ever-impressive Primoz Roglic, it looks like it's all change at the top of cycling's most prestigious podium.

How much do the pros get paid?

How much do Grand Tour riders get paid? We know pro cyclist salaries are on average significantly lower than other sports, but some superstar cyclists can earn as much as the very best paid footballers or basketball players. Peter Sagan is thought to earn around €5.5 million a year at Bora-Hansgrohe and seven-time Grand Tour winner Chris Froome pocketed in the region of €4.5 million each year when he rode for Team Ineos. Despite coming back from a career-threatening injury and with age catching up, his contract at new team Israel Start-up Nation is estimated at a whopping €5.5 million a year!

They are the exception rather than the rule, though. Most pro cyclists at World Tour level are on significantly less and while the very best domestiques (the likes of Wout Poels and Luke Rowe) may earn north of €1 million each year, most are likely to be on contracts worth €100,000-300,000 a year. The UCI sets a minimum annual salary requirement of €38,155 for men’s World Tour teams.

Grand Tour team budgets

How big are the budgets of Grand Tour teams? INEOS remain the team with the deepest pockets, by quite some margin. Backed by British billionaire, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the team’s budget is at least $10m more than their closest rivals and it’s difficult to argue that all that money hasn’t had a significant bearing on their results over the last eight years. The contrast is stark when you consider that even well-established teams like Trek-Segafredo and UAE Team Emirates are making do with budgets around 30% of the size of INEOS. Time for a fairer distribution of funds?

Which bike brand has been the most dominant at the Grand Tours?

When it comes to Grand Tour-winning bikes, there’s one brand that has reigned supreme over the last 30 years. 26 of the 75 Grand Tours over the last 30 years have been won by a cyclist riding a Pinarello bicycle, largely thanks to the dominance of the likes of Team Sky and Banesto in the 1990s. A trio of american brands follow, with Specialized, Trek and Cannondale all winning their fair share of Grand Tours. Spanish brand BH proudly has three Vuelta a España wins, helping them scrape into the top 10.

Which groupset has won the most Tour de France titles?

These days the ‘big three’ dominate when it comes to bicycle groupsets: Shimano, SRAM and Campagnolo. In fact, no current World Tour team uses a groupset from outside of these three manufacturers. Of the Men’s teams, 14 use Shimano groupsets, 3 use Campagnolo and 2 prefer SRAM.

But which groupset has won the most Tours de France? There’s really only one winner here. Campagnolo has won a total of 41 Tour de France races in the history of the race (now 42 with Tadej Pogacar's win in 2020). Some of this can be put down to Campagnolo starting out in 1933 while Shimano started producing groupsets in the 1980s. The last winner to win with Campagnolo was Tadej Pogacar in 2020. The last SRAM winner, one of only two, was Andy Schleck in the 2010 Tour where he finished second behind Alberto Contador, but was retroactively awarded the general classification after the Spaniard was stripped of his title following a positive test for a banned substance. There’s also a few gems on that list. Who knew Mavic, famous for their wheels these days, used to make groupsets? And don’t forget Simplex, one of the pioneers of derailleurs and components. The now defunct French brand won 10 Grand Tours in total.

Tour de France average speeds

Average speeds at the Tour de France have always been an interesting topic in professional cycling. Here we look at the average speeds during the race’s history. The fastest ever race took place in 2005, at the height of the Lance Armstrong era where the American ‘won’ his seventh overall title. The average speed was a mind boggling 41.7kph over the 3 weeks of racing.

With advances in aerodynamics, weight and technology we can expect the races to be getting faster year after year but there are a few noticeable spikes through the years where the speed has increased significantly.

In 1971 Eddy Merckx won his third Tour de France with an average speed of 38.1kph, taking home the points and combativity jersey at the same time. In 1981, Bernard Hinault also won his third Tour with an average speed of 39kph. Another noticeable year is 2015, where Chris Froome won his second ever Tour de France and the average speed was much lower than the years around it, with a speed of just 38.6kph.

So there you have it. Some facts to digest and share about the biggest races in the cycling calendar.

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I wanted to share my whirlwind experience at the Tour de France in early July. It all started with a nighttime arrival in Torino, where I enjoyed a delicious dinner with our guests and team. I had the pleasure of meeting our Italian team and introducing myself to the guests, as I would be guiding them over the next two days through some epic climbs of the Tour de France.

Riding every kilometre (REK) of a Grand Tour is a bucket list achievement for anyone brave enough to attempt it

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Classifications Vuelta a España 2024 | O'Connor keeps the red jersey without any issues, Van Aert still in green

The Vuelta a España - the third and final grand tour of the year - competes for four jerseys: red for the overall winner, green for the points classification, the polka dot jersey for the king of the mountains, and white for the best young rider in the classification. The best team will also be rewarded on the final day in Madrid. IDLProCycling.com keeps track of the ranking in the various classifications for you.

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Red jersey: overall classification Vuelta a España 2024

1. Ben O'Connor 2. Primoz Roglic + 3.16 3. Enric Mas + 3.58 4. Richard Carapaz + 4.10 5. Mikel Landa + 4.40 6. Carlos Rodriguez + 5.23 7. Florian Lipowitz + 5.29 8. Adam Yates + 5.30 9. Felix Gall '' 10. George Bennett + 5.46

11. David Gaudu + 5.55 12. Mattias Skjelmose + 6.41 13. Pavel Sivakov + 6.49 14. Cristian Rodriguez + 7.13 15. Sepp Kuss + 8.16 16. Guillaume Martin + 8.19 17. Aleksandr Vlasov + 10.46 18. Edward Dunbar + 11.37 19. Harold Tejada + 11.50 20. Jack Haig + 12.29

Green jersey: points classification Vuelta a España 2024

1. Wout van Aert - 243 points 2. Kaden Groves - 162 points 3. Pavel Bittner - 81 points 4. Harold Tejada - 80 points 5. Pablo Castrillo - 73 points 6. Ben O'Connor - 68 points 7. Primoz Roglic - 66 points 8. Stefan Küng - 59 points 9. Jhonatan Narvaez - 57 points 10. Mathias Vacek - 57 points

Polka dot jersey: mountain classification Vuelta a España 2024

1. Adam Yates - 22 points 2. Wout van Aert - 22 points 3. Primoz Roglic - 18 points 4. David Gaudu - 18 points 5. Jay Vine - 17 points 6. Sylvain Moniquet - 16 points 7. Marc Soler - 16 points 8. Marco Frigo - 14 points 9. Pablo Castrillo - 13 points 10. Filippo Zana - 11 points

White jersey: youth classification Vuelta a España 2024

1. Carlos Rodriguez 2. Florian Lipowitz + 0.06 3. Mattias Skjelmose + 1.18 4. Matthew Riccitello + 33.08 5. Max Poole + 35.17 6. Isaac del Toro + 40.32 7. Mauri Vansevenant + 42.08 8. Giovanni Aleotti + 53.30 9. Cian Uijtdebroeks + 1.01.28 10. Valentin Paret Peintre + 1.02.16

Team classification Vuelta a España 2024

1. UAE Team Emirates 2. Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe + 19.24 3. Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale + 20.24

Favorites general classification Vuelta a Espana 2024: Many questions and few exclamation marks regarding the red jersey

📸 oof... roglic's streak of bad luck isn't over yet: slovenian loses a tooth just before the vuelta, place comments.

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Participants, bib numbers and withdrawals Vuelta a España 2024 | Twelve stages in, there are 153 riders left in the race!

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• 29/08 Classifications Vuelta a España 2024 | O'Connor keeps the red jersey without any issues, Van Aert still in green
• 29/08 Frustrated Poole and Schmid annoyed with INEOS: "Why didn’t we ride together in that group of four?"
• 29/08 A day after the founder passed away, his protégé Castrillo wins in the Vuelta: "I was very nervous for the finale"

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Eddie Dunbar wins Spanish Vuelta stage as Primoz Roglic cuts into Ben O'Connor's lead

Eddie Dunbar decided to hang in there after almost quitting cycling and on Wednesday was celebrating his first Grand Tour stage win

PADRON, Spain — Eddie Dunbar decided to hang in there after almost quitting cycling, and on Wednesday he was celebrating his first Grand Tour stage win.

The Irishman broke away with less than a kilometer to go to win the 11th stage of the Spanish Vuelta on a day that three-time champion Primoz Roglic cut nearly 40 seconds from Ben O’Connor’s overall lead.

Dunbar, from team Jayco AlUla, was marred by crashes and injuries over the last year and had thought about ending his cycling career.

“It’s incredible,” the 27-year-old Dunbar said. “Since the Vuelta last year, I think I had seven or eight crashes. And of course, physically, that takes its toll, but also mentally. I thought numerous times that I might not have a future in the sport, because of the crashes and the injuries I’ve had.”

He said his knee injury at this year’s Giro d’Italia almost meant the “the nail in the coffin of my cycling career.”

“But I have incredible support around me,” he said. “My girlfriend is forever there around me and I have an incredible group of friends and family. They back me so much as well. It’s been a long time coming but to repay all of them today means a lot.”

Roglic, who won the Vuelta from 2019-21, made his move on the final climb Wednesday to get within 3 minutes, 16 seconds of O’Connor. Enric Mas also moved closer and is less than four minutes from the lead.

“Yes, you can say that I had a hard time,” said O’Connor, the Australian from team Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale. “It was a steep finish and there’s quite a few guys that were super strong today. It’s not the worst case scenario. I’m not naive, there’s plenty of guys who are really dangerous in this race. I’ve had better days and that’s the story of La Vuelta for myself so far. Good day, average day, good day, average day… Hopefully I can change that and be good every day.”

Thursday’s 12th stage will be a hilly 137.5-kilometer (85-mile) route that will end with a long climb into the city of Manzaneda in northwest Spain.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

• Fantasy Vuelta

"The development that Matteo has gone through has been enormous" - Visma coach compares Jorgenson to Jonas Vingegaard and speaks of future Grand Tour winning possibilities

Matteo Jorgenson 's move from Movistar Team to Team Visma | Lease a Bike must go down as one of the signings of the season for the 2024. The American has come on leaps and bounds this year and the hype within Team Visma | Lease a Bike for the American is only growing.

"The first difference is that he has now really prepared for the Tour de France with altitude training. In training, almost everything has changed if I compare it to his past. Some riders already do a lot of power work, a lot of tempo-duration, a lot in the grey zone just below their turning point," explains Team Visma | Lease a Bike coach Tim Heemskerk in conversation with Wielerrevue . "We don't do that. We make a plan to let riders at altitude increase their capacities, including their VO2Max, to increase their endurance."

“Jonas is done for this year" - Visma confirm that Vingegaard will not race in 2024 any more

"I coach a lot on easy cycling . If someone does cycle a lot on tempo-endurance, I will talk to them to say that it would be better to cycle even more easily. That is unnatural, yes," Heemskerk continues. "Only when that basis is in order, the blocks come in during training and also during a preparatory race like the Dauphine they do a lot of that kind of effort. There they ride a lot in the grey zone. When they come out of that and rest for a while, you know that the form is good."

Having won Paris-Nice , finished 2nd at the Criterium du Dauphine and rode a creditable Tour de France in support of Jonas Vingegaard , just how high is Matteo Jorgenson's ceiling in the peloton? "It's still a matter of discovery with him," says the Visma coach. "He won Paris-Nice, almost won the Dauphiné and has now finished in the top ten of the Tour. He is an all-rounder with a good time trial. Is he going to be someone for the podium in the Grand Tours? He has already taken a huge step in that direction."

"I've never talked about winning with Jonas and I'm not going to do that with Matteo either," Heemskerk concludes. "We're mainly going to do everything we can to get the riders to the start of their big goals in the best possible way. The development that Matteo has gone through has been enormous in any case."

OFFICIAL: Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe confirm twin signing from Team Visma | Lease a Bike

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Eddie Dunbar wins stage 11 of Vuelta after strong sprint finish

EDDIE DUNBAR PRODUCED a sparkling finish to claim the 11th stage of the Vuelta a Espana while three-time winner Primoz Roglic produced a late surge to chip away at Ben O’Connor’s overall lead.

Tyrone man Darren Rafferty finished 92nd at +10:06.

Team Jayco–AlUla’s Dunbar spent much of the 166.5 kilometre route in a breakaway pack, suffering on the sharp hills with everyone else, only bursting clear 600 metres from the line in Padron.

Eddie Dunbar steals the show 🇮🇪🔥 A late surging attack by Eddie Dunbar, sees the Irishman win Stage 11 of La Vuelta! His first top-level win in Team Jayco AlUla colours 💪 #LaVuelta pic.twitter.com/c9mfwhX5Wv — Eurosport (@eurosport) August 28, 2024

Known as a climber, it was a surprise move from the 27-year-old Corkman and his rivals failed to pick him up until it was too late, allowing him to take his first ever stage victory in a grand tour.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been in a scenario like this, if I’m honest,” Dunbar told Eurosport at the finish.

“I just kind of used my experience. I was suffering a bit on that steep climb, then I realised everyone else was.

“I just played my cards. I said I’d gamble and back my finish. I know on a finish like this after a hard race I can sprint but I knew I had to go long.

Going from 600 to go was probably a bit long for a sprint but it was what I had to do to win. I can’t believe it.”

Quinten Hermans (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Max Poole (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) followed him across the line two seconds behind to complete the stage podium.

O’Connor started the day three minutes 53 seconds ahead of Roglic but the Australian wilted as Roglic turned the screw on the final punishing climb up the category three Puerto Cruzeiras.

He crossed the line 37sec behind Roglic, still 3min 16sec in front but badly wounded psychologically on a bruising day.

The win marks a significant turnaround for the popular Dunbar who left Ineos Grenadiers in 2023 to become a GC contender.

He finished seventh at last year’s Giro d’Italia but failed to finish the Vuelta.

This year, he crashed in the Giro in May and suffered a cruciate ligament injury that he feared might have signalled the end of his career.

“Since the Vuelta last year, I think I’ve had seven or eight crashes,” said Dunbar.

“Physically it takes its toll but mentally it took its toll on me too.

I said numerous times in my head that I might not have a future in the sport because of the crashes and injuries that I’ve had.

“This year, after the Giro, when I injured my ACL, I thought that would be the nail in the coffin for my cycling career.

“But I have incredible support around me. My girlfriend is always there for me and I have an incredible group of family and friends, and the team backed me so much.

“It’s been a long time coming but to repay them all today means a lot.”

– © AFP 2024

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