Cervélo Cycles | Grand Tour Grand Slam

In the history of cycling no team has ever won all three grand tours in the same season.

Team Jumbo-Visma said, “Why not us?” and dedicated 2023 to making this monumental achievement happen.

And the rest is quite literally, history.

Grand Tour, who?

Tours: 03
Stages: 21
Days: 23
Average Distance: 3,500KM

The most famous Grand Tour is certainly the Tour de France, the grandest of the Grand Tours, the theater for a century of cycling lore, and the beneficiary of the easy days of summer holiday season. But the tours of Spain and Italy bring their own special flavor to the Grand Tour sandwich. The Giro first, in May each year: the romantic’s favorite tour. All pale pastels, snowy mountain passes, and dolce vita. Then the Vuelta each August: impossibly difficult climbs, mercury-boiling days, and the quiet heroics of riders fortunate enough to have been born at altitude.

While each have their own flavors, distinctions, and mythology, Grand Tours cover more than three thousand kilometers over three weeks and 21 stages of racing. The routes change every year as the organizers try to keep the teams guessing, and each country aims to show the most beautiful, most unique, and most challenging parts of their homeland. The variability of the stages means that each team will have its own goals. In some cases, they may hunt stage victories with a powerful lead-out train and a generationally-fast sprinter. Others may target the highest mountains where the most waifish of the strongmen make their mark. Most of the bigger teams will enter with General Classification ambitions—they’re here to take the overall victory. But despite these races’ long histories, no team has ever succeeded in winning all three Grand Tours in a single season. Until 2023. It’s rare to know that you’re watching history be written in real time, but this year, there was no mistaking it.

Giro D’Italia

06 - 28 May, 2023

Total Tour Distance: 3,355KM
Average Stage Length: 160KM
Altitude Gain Over Tour: 51,300M
Average Rider Speed: 39.25KM/H

Falling in May, the Giro draws the Spring Classics to a close and welcomes in the start of the much-anticipated Grand Tour season. Following in the footsteps of the Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia kicked off in 1909 as a way to boost the popularity of pink-paged publication La Gazetta. It is here that the climbers emerge from winter hibernation and take on a parcours that seems to get more challenging by the year.

Fossacesia Marina

Primož Roglič–closely followed by Geraint Thomas who is wearing the Pink leaders jersey–races up a narrow mountain road. Fans line the side of the pavement and mountains loom in the background.

Highlight 1Benvenuto in Italia

2023’s Giro was a slow burn, after a chaotic start that saw a number of riders scratch in the days immediately preceding the race due to positive Covid tests. The virus would appear again after stage 9, pushing Remco Evenepoel to the side the day after a blistering TT victory. With the Belgian favorite out of the race, the battle for pink boiled down to Geraint Thomas (who donned the Maglia Rosa with Remco’s departure) and Primož Roglič. Nobody could have predicted the epic, single-stage battle it would be.

Primož Roglič is pedaling his bike in rainy conditions. He does not look like he’s having a good time.

Highlight 2The March to Rome

From Stage 10 on, breakaways, bad weather and crashes were the name of the game for the peloton. With the Maglia Rosa playing a game of musical chairs, Primož stayed out of the mess and consistently sat in third GC, a couple minutes down from sporting the Pink Jersey himself. Victory was not out of reach, but halfway through a three week race–a couple minutes can feel like a lifetime.

A photo of Primož Roglič out of the saddle and pedaling hard on the steepest part of the time trial course.

Highlight 3Roglič Redemption

On the penultimate stage, one final challenge stood in the way of the riders and the Trofeo Senza Fine. The Monte Lussari: 8.1 kilometers, with a maximum 22% grade. Pre-stage commentary centered on the bike change—optional at first, then mandatory. A switch from P5 to R5, from ultimate speed to…ultimate speed, uphill edition. At the start of Stage 20, Geraint Thomas held the Maglia Rosa by 26 seconds, but Primož started the stage with something immeasurable in his heart: a chance for redemption. A chance to rewrite the memory of his 2020 uphill time trial loss on La Planche des Belles Filles at the Tour de France.

Primož Roglič with is arms in the air cheering in celebration of his time trial victory.

Highlight 4Comeback King

Primož came out of the gate hot, excitement was at an all time high, then disaster struck in the form of a dropped chain on the steepest part of the climb. Primož, however, was unflappable. He calmly hopped off, fought the chain back on, and kept rolling like it never happened–pure nerves of steel, determination, and a push-start from a kind bystander coming to his aid. He continued to the finish at a blistering pace surrounded by a cacophony of waving flags, signs and flares. But it wasn’t over yet, Geraint Thomas was still on course. For Primož, minutes in the hot seat felt like hours, but Thomas was losing steam, and fast. Thomas fought for every inch and every second to the line, but it wasn't enough. Primož Roglič had won by 40 seconds. The Maglia Rosa was his.

Winner Giro D’Italia 2023 Primož Roglič

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Primož Roglič wearing the Pink jersey stands on the top step of the Giro d’Italia podium and kisses the winner’s trophy.

TheBikes

Primož’s decisive Stage 20 win featured an interesting combo of a P5 and an R5 with gravel gearing. Due to the steepness of the course, riders were able to swap their time trial bikes for more mountain-friendly setups. Primož’s R5 was the choice of a man with a singular goal– SRAM’s XPLR 10-44t cassette at the back, paired with a 1x chainring to give Primož a 1:1 gear ratio. Perfecto.

Tour De France

01 - 23 July, 2023

Total Tour Distance: 3,404KM
Average Stage Length: 168KM
Altitude Gain Over Tour: 56,467M
Average Rider Speed: 41.43KM/H

The Tour de France humbly began in 1903 as a stunt by French publisher L'Auto to sell more newspapers. The race has since grown from a somewhat casual endurance ride to the most recognizable and prestigious bike race on the calendar. With teams and athletes dedicating entire careers to standing on the podium in Paris. To win the Tour is to be the best of the best.

Bilbao

Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar riding next to each other at the Tour de France.

Highlight 1Clash of Champions

Every Grand Tour starts with a long list of unknowns, but at the 2023 Tour de France, one thing was certain: The race would be between Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard. All other contenders would be foils to the two main characters, whose friendly rivalry has only grown over the past few seasons. The start in Bilbao cast the public’s eyes toward Spain earlier than usual, but the teams had to make it through three weeks in France, first.

Jonas Vingegaard wearing yellow and climbing with effort on his Cervélo R5.

Highlight 2Cat and Mouse

By the close of stage 6, Vingegaard and Pogacar were sitting 1 and 2, separated by just 25 seconds. After stage 9, Pogacar shaved eight more seconds off the lead. By the finish of stage 12, Pogacar had clawed back another eight seconds to bring Vingegaard’s lead to a negligible nine seconds. Two weeks in, and the cycling public were hanging on every word, every bonus second, every pedal stroke in what was shaping up to be a genuine clash between this young generation’s two greatest GC racers.

Jonas Vingegaard wearing Yellow and riding his Cervélo P5 time trial bike with mountains in the background.

Highlight 3Did I do that?

Stage 16: an unusually hilly individual time trial between Passy and Combloux. Pogacar left the gate ahead of Vingegaard and finished the stage a minute faster than anyone else so far. The Yellow Jersey and the stage win looked to be his, but there’s no hotter seat in the world than the hot seat in the Tour de France. Just minutes later, Vingegaard bested Pogacar by 1:38, cementing his GC lead, and sending the commentators into conniptions.

Jonas Vingegaard, followed by members of the peloton pedals his way up a narrow road. He is surrounded by a mass of excited fans in polka dot shirts and hats waving signs and flags.

Highlight 4The Final Nail

Not content with their gap, the Jumbo-Visma squad embarked on a masterclass of punishment. Chipping away the energy of the peloton and Pogacar with it. Seven kilometers from the summit finish, Vingegaard attacked. Hard. Pogacar could not follow, famously calling over the radio, “I’m gone, I’m dead.” When the times were tallied, Vingegaard’s lead was now 7:35, and with just three racing stages to go, yellow was his.

Winner Tour De France 2023 Jonas Vingegaard

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Jonas Vingegaard lifts his special-edition yellow Cervélo S5 above his head in a celebration of victory.

TheBikes

The P5/R5 one-two punch ended Pogacar’s run at yellow, and secured the second Grand Tour of the season for Team Jumbo-Visma. To celebrate his repeat victory, Jonas rode into Paris on a special S5.

Vuelta a España

26 Aug - 17 Sep, 2023

Total Tour Distance: 3,153KM
Average Stage Length: 149KM
Altitude Gain Over Tour: 51,715M
Average Rider Speed: 40.79KM/H

The youngest of the three Grand Tours and the cherry on top of summer bike racing, the Vuelta is known for packing unpredictability, unconventionality, and heat into innovative route design that sees landscapes and climbs you'd likely never experience otherwise. It is historically the most unpredictable of all the Grand Tours and the most suited to the mountain goats of the peloton.

Barcelona

Team presentation at the Vuelta a España.

Highlight 1Up, Up, and More Up

With two of the three coveted Grand Tour jerseys in their pocket, Jumbo-Visma headed to Spain–with pre-race favorites Primož Roglič (a three-time Vuelta winner already) and Jonas Vingegaard, fresh off his TDF repeat–to conquer the final boss, the Vuelta a España. 2023’s route was exceptional in its difficulty: ten stages with uphill finishes–mythic climbs cyclists breathe reverently in every language: Tourmalet, Aubisque, Soulor, Spandelles…Angliru…

Sepp Kuss chugging champagne from the bottle while standing on the podium

Highlight 2Surprise!

Sepp Kuss, in his third Grand Tour of the year, and taking advantage of a week one lull, took a flyer and rode to a solo stage victory on Javalambre. He rocketed up the GC, but his podium performance suggested he didn’t have ‘performance’ on the brain, exactly.

Sepp on the podium wearing the Red Jersey for the first time and blowing a kiss to the crowd.

Highlight 3Seeing Red

After a day of will he or won’t he, Kuss climbed to the top of the GC, finishing just back from Roglič and Evenepoel. Podium-chugging legend, the guy who puts ‘super’ in super domestique, and everyone’s favorite dog dad pulled on the red jersey. The internet went off.

Sepp Kuss and Jonas Vingegaard catch their breath after finishing Stage 13.

Highlight 4Turmoil on the Tourmalet

Team Jumbo-Visma took control of the Tourmalet on Stage 13, aggressively attacking their rivals, allowing Vingegaard to break away and climb to victory. Kuss and Roglič finished second and third–Jumbo-Visma’s three favorites now occupied the top places on the GC, giving the team a numerical and strategic advantage. And a shot at being the first team in history to sweep a GC podium alongside being the first team to win all three Grand Tours.

Sepp Kuss, Jonas Vingegaard, and Primož Roglič ride across the line together in celebration of Sepp’s Vuelta win.

Highlight 5GC KUSS

What happens when your three best riders are all in contention to win? Things get a bit…fraught. The mist-shrouded Angliru. The super domestique. The multiple-time champion. The freshly-crowned 2x winner of the Tour de France. All on the climb that never seemed to end, with television feeds interrupted again and again by clouds. Vingegaard and Roglič pulled some time back from Kuss, but he remained in red. The order was set, the peace was made, and all rode together to Madrid, Kuss in a well-earned red jersey, the first American to win a Grand Tour in a decade.

Winner Vuelta a España 2023 Sepp Kuss

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Sepp Kuss in the Red Jersey holding the glass trophy of the Vuelta a España above his head in celebration.

TheBike

After several epic stages atop the R5, Sepp rode into Madrid on a custom red S5 featuring a nod to the Giro win of Primož Roglič, and to the Tour de France win of Jonas Vingegaard. Both races in which he was key to the team’s success as domestique. An epic bike, for an epic rider and an epic team.