The 3 Grand Tours of Cycling: Tour de France, Giro d'Italia & Vuelta a España

What is a Grand Tour in cycling?

A Grand Tour is a three-week stage race holding the highest level of classification from the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). There are only three:

• The Tour de France (July)
• The Giro d'Italia (May)
• The Vuelta a España (August–September)

All three share a common structure: a maximum of 21 stages, two rest days, a general classification on time marked by a distinctive jersey, plus secondary classifications (points/sprint, king of the mountains, best young rider, teams). They differ in age, geography, atmosphere and the prestige of their roll of honour.

1. The Tour de France

Nicknamed La Grande Boucle, the Tour de France is the most famous and most watched of the Grand Tours. Created in 1903 by the newspaper L'Auto, it is the most followed cycling event on the planet and one of the biggest annual sporting occasions in the world.

• First edition: 1903
• Country: France
• Period: July
• Distance: around 3,500 km
• Leader's jersey: yellow jersey (maillot jaune)
• Finish: traditionally in Paris, on the Champs-Élysées

The Tour de France crowns the most complete rider: able to shine in the high mountains (Alps, Pyrenees), to resist in the time trial and to manage three weeks of attrition. It is the most coveted Grand Tour, and the yellow jersey remains the ultimate symbol of road cycling.

2. The Giro d'Italia

The Giro d'Italia, or Corsa Rosa, is the Italian Grand Tour. Created in 1909 by the Gazzetta dello Sport (whose pink pages gave the leader's jersey its colour), it opens the Grand Tour cycle in May.

• First edition: 1909
• Country: Italy
• Period: May
• Distance: around 3,400 km
• Leader's jersey: maglia rosa (pink jersey)
• Key points: the Dolomites, the Italian Alps, legendary climbs such as the Stelvio, the Mortirolo and the Colle delle Finestre

Famous for its spectacular scenery, its unpredictable spring weather and its brutal mountain stages, the Giro is often considered the most physically demanding and the most unpredictable Grand Tour. It favours climbers and aggressive riders willing to take risks.

3. The Vuelta a España

The Vuelta a España, simply known as La Vuelta, is the Spanish Grand Tour and the youngest of the three. Created in 1935 and moved to late summer in 1995, it closes the Grand Tour season in August and September.

• First edition: 1935
• Country: Spain
• Period: August–September
• Leader's jersey: red jersey (la roja; gold until 2010)
• Key points: a very high number of summit finishes and steep walls such as the Angliru and the Lagos de Covadonga

The Vuelta has built a modern identity around its explosive climbs and dizzying gradients. Raced in the late-summer heat, it often serves as a springboard for young talents and a stage for redemption for riders who came up short at the Tour or the Giro.

The 3 Grand Tours compared

While the three races share the same format, they each have a distinct personality:

• The Tour de France is the most prestigious and the deepest field: every leader targets the yellow jersey first.
• The Giro d'Italia is known for its difficulty, its extreme mountain stages and its unpredictable scenarios.
• The Vuelta a España stands out for its repeated summit finishes and very steep walls, ideal for explosive climbers.

Completing a career "Grand Slam" by winning all three is an extremely rare feat: only eight riders have managed it in the entire history of the sport.

Records by Grand Tour

Each Grand Tour has its own record holders for general classification victories. At the Tour de France, four riders share the all-time record, while the Giro and the Vuelta have their own legends.

Miguel Induráin remains the only rider to have won five Tours de France in a row (1991–1995). At the Vuelta, Roberto Heras and Primož Roglič share the record of four victories, ahead of Tony Rominger and Alberto Contador (three wins each).

Most Grand Tour wins of all time

Beyond the records for each race, a handful of champions have stacked up victories across all three Grand Tours. Eddy Merckx dominates this historical ranking, but the current generation, led by Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard, is climbing fast.

Totals based on the official records after doping-related reallocations (Tour de France 1999–2005 with no winner, 2011 Vuelta awarded to Chris Froome, etc.). Active riders who may still climb the list: Tadej Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard, Primož Roglič.

Riders who have won all 3 Grand Tours

Winning the Tour de France, the Giro and the Vuelta at least once each over a career is one of the rarest achievements in cycling. In 2026, Jonas Vingegaard became the eighth rider in history to complete this career "Grand Slam" by winning the Giro, after his 2022 and 2023 Tours de France and his 2025 Vuelta.

The same-year Grand Slam: a feat never achieved

While eight riders have won all three Grand Tours across their careers, no one has ever won the Tour de France, the Giro and the Vuelta in a single season. This same-year Grand Slam is considered virtually impossible: stringing together three three-week races at full intensity between May and September exceeds the known physiological limits of elite sport, and leaders almost always choose to target one or two events at most. The only seriously contested feat is the "Giro-Tour double" in the same year, itself extremely rare: achieved by the likes of Fausto Coppi, Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Stephen Roche, Miguel Induráin and Marco Pantani, it had not been done for twenty-six years before Tadej Pogačar pulled it off again in 2024. The same-season triple remains cycling's last great fantasy.

Grand Tour winners since the beginning

The table below lists the general classification winners of the Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España. The 20 most recent editions are shown by default; click the button beneath the table to expand the complete roll of honour, all the way back to the first Tour de France in 1903.

Key: "Vacant title" = Tour de France 1999–2005 (titles stripped from Lance Armstrong) · "Not held" = edition cancelled (World Wars, Spanish Civil War) · "n/a" = race not yet founded · "Upcoming" = 2026 edition not yet raced.

2026 outlook and Grand Tour favourites

The 2026 season has already delivered its first verdict. In May, Jonas Vingegaard won his first ever Giro d'Italia, beating Felix Gall and Jai Hindley in Rome. The win was historic: it made the Dane the eighth rider in history to have won all three Grand Tours, after his 2022 and 2023 Tours de France and his 2025 Vuelta.

The summer's headline event remains the Tour de France in July. Tadej Pogačar, the defending champion and already a four-time winner (2020, 2021, 2024, 2025), will chase a fifth title that would draw him level with Anquetil, Merckx, Hinault and Induráin at the top of the record books. Against him, Vingegaard, reinvigorated by his Giro triumph, will try to overturn the hierarchy, alongside Remco Evenepoel and the new wave of climbers such as Florian Lipowitz, Isaac del Toro and Paul Seixas.

Finally, the Vuelta a España will close the season in August and September. Often contested by riders seeking redemption or by rising young talents, it could suit Primož Roglič, record co-holder with Roberto Heras and a candidate for a record fifth win, or a newcomer taking advantage of any absence among the stars already satisfied by the Tour.

Frequently asked questions about the Grand Tours

What are the 3 Grand Tours of cycling?
The three Grand Tours are the Tour de France (July), the Giro d'Italia (May) and the Vuelta a España (August–September). They are the only three-week stage races on the UCI calendar.

Which Grand Tour is the most prestigious?
The Tour de France is universally regarded as the most prestigious and most watched of the three, followed by the Giro d'Italia and then the Vuelta a España.

Who holds the record for most Tour de France wins?
Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Induráin share the record with five wins each. Induráin is the only rider to have won five Tours in a row.

How many riders have won all 3 Grand Tours?
Eight riders have won all three Grand Tours during their careers: Anquetil, Gimondi, Merckx, Hinault, Contador, Nibali, Froome and, since 2026, Jonas Vingegaard.

Has anyone ever completed the same-year Grand Slam of all 3 Grand Tours?
No. No rider has ever won the Tour de France, the Giro and the Vuelta in a single season: this same-year Grand Slam is considered virtually impossible physically. Only the Giro-Tour double in the same year has been done, most recently by Tadej Pogačar in 2024.

Which Grand Tour is the hardest?
The Giro d'Italia is often judged the toughest physically, due to its extreme mountain stages and unpredictable spring weather, but the Tour de France remains the deepest in terms of competition.

Conclusion

The 3 Grand Tours of professional cycling, namely the Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España, form the backbone of the road season. Each tells a different story: the prestige and all-round demands of the Tour, the brutality and unpredictability of the Giro, and the explosiveness and modern flair of the Vuelta.

For a rider, winning a Grand Tour is the crowning moment of a career; winning all three opens the door to the very select circle of legends. For fans, these three three-week events are unique sporting sagas, full of suspense, suffering and heroics.

In short, to understand the Grand Tours is to understand the beating heart of world cycling.