No more 'super petrol' but better science: Jens Voigt on why Pogačar and Thomas can conquer Giro-Tour double

No male rider has conquered the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France double since Marco Pantani in 1998 but former professional cyclist Jens Voigt believes that Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) can end that drought and that Welshman Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) can be competitive in both races.

The last two decades are littered with riders who have attempted the challenge, from Alex Zülle to Cadel Evans and Alberto Contador but few have even managed to come close other than Chris Froome (Israel-Premier Tech) and Tom Dumoulin in 2018.

“It hasn’t been done because no one is using super petrol anymore,” Jens Voigt told GCN, in reference to the problematic 1990s and 2000s.

“That’s one of the reasons why winning the double hasn’t been done since Pantani. I raced both races and was competitive in stage hunting in the Giro and was good in the Tour as a stage hunter or as a helper to someone like Carlos Sastre but GC is different.”

Pogačar is the first rider of the current generation to target both Grand Tours and has the ambition of winning both races. Thomas, on the other hand, is targeting the maglia rosa in May before settling into a likely super domestique role at the Tour de France, where he will support Tom Pidcock and Carlos Rodríguez.

Read more: Geraint Thomas to ride both Giro d'Italia and Tour de France in 2024

“At a certain age, it’s good for you because your body, as it gets older turns from a GTI engine with high revs, and into a turbo diesel. But if you want to still be a GTI as you get older, the harder you need to work to get there. You lose those sharp accelerations and peaks but I think that it will be good for Geraint to do both the Giro and the Tour,” said Voigt during a call that he took while on Zwift.

“Tadej is a lot younger but he has an incredibly strong team and he’s a racer and a winner. He’s not going to go to the Giro to finish seventh. That’s just how he is,” the German added.

Voigt admitted that he’s a huge fan of the Slovenian, who won the Tour de France in 2020 and 2021 before finishing second to Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) over the following two seasons.

According to Voigt training and science have improved immensely since his time in the pro ranks, and rider preparations have altered to such a degree that racing the Giro and Tour is now a possible aspiration.

“Nowadays training is the better form of training, rather than racing, like it was back in my day. These days training is the best form of preparation because riders these days can step on the scales five times a day; they can control the energy input, and they can control weight. They can control every effort in training that they make too. In both the races of Thomas and Pogačar I think it’s good for them that they race both the Giro and the Tour, and I think they can perform at both races,” Voigt said.

Read more: Tadej Pogačar: I never thought about skipping the Tour de France

“I think that the Giro and Vuelta double is probably more manageable. Like with [Primož] Roglič. He would have done it last year but he wasn’t allowed to win the Vuelta. There’s enough time between Giro and the Vuelta.

"With the Giro and the Tour, there’s a complicated distance between both races. It’s far too long to push it for both races because you’re in shape for four weeks at the Giro, and then it’s impossible to hold top shape for 12 weeks until the end of the Tour. The time between both races is also short, so you can’t take a week of holiday and then try and build back up. It’s tricky in the past but with the coaches and data the riders have now, it’s manageable.”

The former Tour de France stage winner also admitted that the fan in him would be excited to see Pogačar break a streak that goes all the way back to Pantani in 1998.

“If anyone can do it, it’s Pogačar. I’m a little biased because I like him. He’s a cool young man and he’s not afraid to attack long. I’m a fan, I have to admit. Who would have thought that a rider like him could win Flanders? So I think he can do the double but he’s also thinking that he’s been second twice to Vinegegaard at the Tour de France so he’s probably thinking he needs to change something."

Read more: Tadej Pogačar to race Tour de France, Olympics, and Worlds after Giro debut

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