Who became the first cyclist to win the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España?

Jacques Anquetil became the first cyclist to win the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España. The French rider completed the set of three Grand Tours by winning the Vuelta in 1963, after earlier victories in the Tour and Giro.

Anquetil was renowned for his smooth style and exceptional ability in time trials. He won the Tour de France five times between 1957 and 1964, the first rider to reach that total. His stage-racing success made him one of the defining professionals of cycling’s mid-20th century.

The three Grand Tours are stage races with general classifications based on cumulative time. Winning all three across a career is called completing the Grand Tour “triple crown” in common cycling discussion, though that phrase can have different meanings in the sport. Anquetil’s achievement concerned the three separate European stage races.